WUNRN
EGYPT - WOMEN JUDGES BARRED FROM
INFLUENTIAL EGYPT COURT
AFP/File – Egyptian women walk outside
in
Mon Feb 15,
2:01 pm ET
The
Council of State's association voted by an overwhelming majority
against appointing women as judges in the council,
"Three-hundred and eighty judges took part in the general assembly and voted, with 334 rejecting the appointment of females to judicial posts and 42 agreeing, with four abstentions."
But the decision angered conservatives who said women were not suited for the role.
Up until 2007,
Hossam Bahgat, an expert on human rights law and director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, criticised the judges' decision on Monday.
"I'm disappointed to see that there is a deep-seated bias prevalent among judges against women," he said.
Bahgat said the decision could technically be overruled by the Special Council, a supervisory body that oversees the Council of State.
"In theory, they can overturn today's vote. Today's vote is a disappointment. It shows opposition to the government's accumulative approach to ending discrimination against women in the judiciary."
================================================================
To contact the list administrator, or to leave the list, send an email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com.
Thank you.