Saudi to grant women court access

[Jessica]

Saudi to grant women court access (http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/02/201022117114465818.html)

I feel so sorry for them. nearly segregated totally from men -_-



Saudi Arabia could soon allow women lawyers to appear in court to argue cases for the first time.

Mohammed al-Issa, the justice minister, said the government is drafting a new law to permit female lawyers to argue family-related cases, including divorce and child custody.

The proposed new law will be issued "in the coming days", Saudi newspapers reported on Sunday.
The female lawyers would be able to represent women in marriage, divorce, custody and other family cases, the newspapers said.
Judicial reforms

At the moment, female lawyers in the kingdom can only work behind the scenes in government and court offices, where they do not come into contact with men.

All judges in the kingdom are male religious clerics.
As part of ongoing judicial reforms, the Saudi government is developing a network of specialised courts, including "personal status" or family courts, where the women lawyers would be allowed to practice.

Women in Saudi Arabia are nearly totally segregated from men in public life.

[Luz]

I am so happy to read that, but I am wondering if female lawyers will have the same credibility as male lawyers. I mean, you said that judges are male religious clerics, will they consider a female defense as valid as a male defense?

[CrOtALiTo]

At least here in my country the lawyer womens and the lawyer man are the same.

The law sometimes is just and never should to change with the the humanity, now also the judge could be more just with the people who have not the law of their side.

[Jessica]

I hope in the future women there will get rights like here

[CrOtALiTo]

Yeah I believe the same.