Legal News Headlines
22.05.2012 Tel Aviv, 22 May 2012
“New bill attempts to crack glass ceiling for Israeli women“ (Haaretz)
A new draft law would extend from two years to seven years the statute of limitations for suing an employer who pays a female employee less than a male employee who does the same job. A ruling of last Thursday of the High Court of Justice placed the burden of proof in the case of a gender-based pay inequality claim on the employer, rather than the employee…
22.05.2012 Lahore, 21 May 2012
“Christian charged with blasphemy ‘after snooker quarrel’“ (Pakistan Today)
A young Christian man has been charged with burning “holy pages” under the blasphemy laws after he had an argument with some Muslim boys over a snooker game. Section 295-B of the governing law makes wilful desecration of the Holy Quran or use of an extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment…
18.05.2012 Damascus, 18 May 2012
“Syrian activist sentenced to death for ‘treason’“ (Al Arabiya News)
Syrian authorities have sentenced to death for “treason” an activist who was arrested in April a Syrian human rights group said today. Hariri was arrested after discussing on Al-Jazeera television the terrible humanitarian and security situation in southern Daraa province, cradle of the anti-regime uprising that erupted in March 2011, the group said…
18.05.2012 Abu Dhabi, 18 May 2012
“Girls 'should stay with mothers until marriage'“ (The National)
Divorced mothers should retain custody of their daughters until they marry if doing otherwise would be damaging for the child, the United Arab Emirates Federal Supreme Court has ruled. The court explained that custody takes into consideration the rights of the father, the mother and the child. If those clash, the child's welfare takes priority…
16.05.2012 Algiers, 16 May 2012
“Algerian women claw their way into parliament” (Al Arabiya News)
Algeria’s legislative election saw women take almost a third of the seats, making the national assembly the most gender-balanced in the region. According to a provisional count, at least 145 of the new, enlarged national assembly’s 462 seats will be occupied by women…
14.05.2012 Tehran, 13 May 2012
“Iran: Cartoonist sentenced to 25 lashes” (CNN iReport)
The semi-official Iranian news agency ILNA reported last week that Iranian regime has sentenced a cartoonist to 25 lashes for drawing a cartoon of a former member of Iranian regime's parliament…
11.05.2012 Kuwait, 10 May 2012
“Kuwaiti lawmakers mull female judge ban“ (ArabianBusiness.com)
Lawmakers in Kuwait have proposed a law that would prohibit women from becoming judges or prosecutors. The draft ruling, presented by five MPs, includes an amendment to Article 19 of Law Number 23/1990, which states that a judge needs to be a “Kuwaiti Muslim”. The change would add the term "man" to the article…
09.05.2012 Manama, 8 May 2012
“Bahrain court adjourns retrial of activists” (BBC News Middle East)
A court in Bahrain has adjourned for two weeks the retrial of 21 activists and opposition figures accused of plotting to overthrow the state last year. The court said two of the defendants, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Abdullah al-Mahroos, had to be present in court. Mr Khawaja was sentenced to life in jail by Bahrains National Security Court. Mr Mahroos, a prominent Shia religious figure and critic of the Gulf kingdom's Sunni-dominated government, was sentenced to 15 years by the same military tribunal…
09.05.2012 New Delhi, 7 May 2012
“Polygamy Fatwa Sparks Debate in India” (The Siasat Daily)
A new controversy is heating in India over a fatwa by the country’s most influential Muslim religious seminary against polygamy. The fatwa was issued in response to a query by a man who wanted advice on marrying twice…
08.05.2012 Doha, 6 May 2012
“Top UK judges support Qatari legal push” (Zawya)
Qatar is hosting England and Wales' most prominent judges as part of the emirate's bid to become a leading arbitration centre. The move is intended to bolster Qatar's reputation before the country hosts the World Cup in 2022. The ruling family wants the contracts related to the football tournament to contain a clause that would see any dispute resolved at its international court…
04.05.2012 Kuwait, 3 May 2012
“Kuwaiti parliament approves death penalty for cursing prophet Muhammad” (Times of Israel)
Kuwait’s parliament passed a bill Thursday imposing the death sentence, inter alia, for those who curse God, the Prophet Muhammad or claim prophetic abilities. A Kuwaiti citizen was arrested in the past for mocking the prophet and his wife on Twitter, but could not be tried under existing Kuwaiti laws…
04.05.2012 Manama, 3 May 2012
“Bahrain king enacts parliamentary reforms” (Al Jazeera)
Bahraini King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa ratified a number of amendments to Bahrain’s constitution that had previously been approved by the Shura and Representative Councils. Opposition groups dismissed the extra powers given to parliament on Thursday as not enough, describing the moves as merely symbolic…
02.05.2012 Doha, 1 May 2012
“Qatar to allow trade union, scrap ‘sponsor’ system” (Al Arabiya News)
Qatar is to allow the establishment of a trade union to protect labour rights and scrap the ‘sponsor’ system for foreign workers. Highly condemned by human rights bodies, the sponsor system requires that all foreign workers be sponsored by local employers…
02.05.2012 Sana'a, 30 April 2012
“Sexual harassment goes unpunished in Yemen” (Yemen Times)
Many women in Yemen who are subjected to sexual harassment do not notify the police as they fear the social tradition that demeans those who speak about being subjected to harassment. Additionally, security measures are fragile and allow offenders to easily evade penalties…
26.04.2012 Tripoli, 25 April 2012
“Libya bans religious political parties” (Al Jazeera)
Libyan authorities have banned the formation of political parties based on religious principles ahead of elections scheduled to take place in June. The law comes two months ahead of the country's first general elections to choose a 200-member assembly tasked with writing a new constitution and forming a government…
24.04.2012 Dubai, 24 April 2012
“Divorce rate rises in Emirati and expat marriages” (The National)
The number of divorces in Dubai has risen by almost a quarter in the past three years, helped by the financial downturn and the changing role of women in society, experts say. Divorce among nationals is rising because a of broader social change, an Emirati lawyer in Dubai explains. „A lot of women are working women now. They won’t just accept what their mothers used to accept”…
19.04.2012 Dammam, 19 April 2012
“Age of consent for marriage of Saudi girls soon” (Arab News)
The Justice Ministry will soon make an announcement to establish the age of consent for Saudi women to marry, a local daily reported yesterday quoting an official source at the ministry. However, the Director of the Department of Marriage at the ministry Mr. Al-Babtain declined to reveal the age of consent for marriage, but said the issue was still being discussed…
19.04.2012 Tunis, 18 April 2012
“Protests against veil ban in Tunisian universities bring lectures to a halt” (Al Arabiya News)
The controversy over the face veil, which emerged following the fall of former Tunisian President’s secular regime, has resurfaced again on campus with lectures coming to a halt following ongoing disputes on the issue…
18.04.2012 Cairo, 17 April 2012
“Egypt's football deaths trial opens amid chaotic scenes” (BBC News Middle East)
The trial of dozens of people charged in connection with Egypt's worst football violence has opened in Cairo amid chaotic scenes. The proceedings were disrupted by the defendants as they chanted to proclaim their innocence. At least 74 people died after clashes erupted following a match in the city of Port Said on 1 February…
13.04.2012 Kuwait, 12 April 2012
“Kuwait mulls death penalty for insulting God, Prophet” (The Jordan Times)
Kuwaiti lawmakers voted in favour of a legal amendment yesterday which could make insulting God and the Prophet Muhammad punishable by death, after a case of suspected blasphemy on Twitter caused an uproar in the Gulf Arab state. Members of parliament must vote on the proposal again in a second session and it would need the approval of the country's ruler before becoming law…
11.04.2012 Cairo, 10 April 2012
“Egypt court suspends constitutional assembly” (BBC News Middle East)
A court in Egypt has suspended the 100-member assembly appointed in March to draft the country's new constitution. Several lawsuits had demanded Cairo's Administrative Court block the decision to form the panel because it did not reflect the diversity of Egyptian society…
05.04.2012 Kuwait City, 4 April 2012
“Kuwaiti artist fights for freedom of expression” (Gulf News)
A female Kuwaiti artist whose paintings of male society were deemed “obscene” by authorities has vowed to continue pushing the boundaries. The closure of the exhibition has sparked controversy, as it’s unprecedented in the art history of Kuwait for the authorities to crack down on freedom of expression…
04.04.2012 Kuwait City, 3 April 2012
“Kuwaiti denies blasphemous tweets, says account must have been hacked” (Al Arabiya News)
A Kuwaiti Shi‘ite accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad on Twitter has denied making any such comments, saying that his account must have been hacked. The allegations sparked protests by Sunni activists and some members of parliament have called for him to be executed. Defaming Islam is illegal in Kuwait under the 1961 press and publications law, but is not usually punishable by death…
30.03.2012 Cairo, 29 March 2012
“Egyptian court obliges telecom companies to block porn sites” (Egypt Independent)
The State Council administrative court issued a ruling obliging the head of National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and the Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology to block pornographic websites, according to the state-owned daily Al-Ahram…
28.03.2012 Kabul, 28 March 2012
“Afghan women are being jailed for ‚moral crimes', says report” (The Guardian)
Nearly half of all women in Afghan prisons are being held for so-called ‚moral crimes’ such as running away from home or adultery, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. After more than a decade of international efforts to reform the legal system and women's rights in Afghanistan, the report found that women still face extremely limited protection in the court system…
28.03.2012 Tunis, 27 March 2012
“Tunisian Lawmaker talks of turbulent year” (euronews)
Karima Souid, an MP with the centre left Ettakatol party, answers to questions such as: One year after Tunisia’s revolution, what has changed there? How is the work of the Constituent Assembly going? What future can be expected by the men, women and young people who believed in the revolution?…
23.03.2012 Beirut, 23 March 2012
“Charbel: Women in the ISF are not allowed to wear the hijab” (The Daily Star)
Neither veils nor any other religious symbol are allowed to be worn with the uniform of security personnel in all Lebanese state institutions , Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told a newspaper yesterday, after women who wear the hijab were accepted by the Internal Security Forces…
22.03.2012 Riyadh, 22 March 2012
“Divorce cases increase by 21 percent” (Arab News)
There were 406 marriages every day in Saudi Arabia last year against 85 divorce cases, a Saudi newspaper reported yesterday quoting official statistics of the Justice Ministry. The ministry said the divorce cases rose by 21 percent last year compared to marriages…
16.03.2012 Rabat, 15 March 2012
“Morocco protest after raped Amina Filali kills herself” (BBC News Middle East)
Moroccan activists have stepped up pressure to scrap a provision in the penal code that allows the "kidnapper" of a minor to marry her in order to escape jail after a 16-year-old female victim killed herself. The girl swallowed rat poison after being severely beaten during a forced marriage to her rapist…
14.03.2012 Cairo, 13 March 2012
“Egyptian doctor cleared over virginity test” (Zawya)
An Egyptian military court has acquitted an army doctor charged with carrying out a forced virginity test on a female detainee arrested during protests last year because of conflicting evidence from witnesses, according to a report in the official Middle East news agency…
14.03.2012 Beirut, 8 March 2012
“Lebanon: Tussle over gender violence law” (Irin News)
Proposed amendments to a draft law on gender violence in Lebanon have sparked demands from civil society organizations that parliament uphold an original draft criminalizing, e.g., ‚honor crimes‘. Intense lobbying by Lebanon’s main religious authorities, campaigners said, had prompted the committee to remove marital rape, and economic and psychological violence from the draft and introduce a new provision giving religious bodies primacy over civil courts in overseeing cases…
09.03.2012 Baghdad, 8 March 2012
“Women deplore restrictions in male-dominated Iraq” (The Jordan Times)
Iraqi women sharply criticised societal restrictions placed upon them in events marking International Women's Day. Until the 1980s, Iraqi women were widely considered to have more rights than their counterparts across the Middle East. Since it peaked in 2006 and 2007, overall violence has declined, but Iraqi women remain victims of violence, trafficking, forced marriage at a young age, and kidnapping for confessional or criminal reasons, NGOs say…
07.03.2012 Tel Aviv, 5 March 2012
“Israeli ministerial committee okays bill raising marriage age to 18” (Haaretz.com)
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved legislation that would raise the minimum age for marriage in Israel under most circumstances from 17 to 18. However, in exceptional cases the courts will be empowered to recognize marriages of couples under 18…
01.03.2012 Amman, 29 February 2012
“Cabinet ready with constitutional court bill” (Jordan Times)
The Jordanian Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed the draft law on the constitutional court, which is stipulated in the newly amended Constitution. The financially and administratively independent Amman-based court will be competent to rule on the constitutionality of laws and bylaws and interpret the Constitution…
01.03.2012 Tunis, 26 February 2012
“Tunisian leader urges law against allegations of blasphemy” (Al Arabiya News)
Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on Saturday called on parliament to outlaw accusations of blasphemy as a threat to public order, in order to „protect the coexistence, fraternity and solidarity among Tunisians”. His comments came a day after an Arabic-language newspaper published an interview with a radical Islamist who branded a university professor as an infidel…
23.02.2012 Islamabad, 22 February 2012
“Senate passes Domestic Violence Bill” (Pakistan Today)
The landmark ‘Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2012’, which had already been passed by the National Assembly in August 2009, has now been passed unanimously by the Senate. The Domestic Violence Bill makes violence against women and children an offence, punishable by time in jail and imposition of fines. It also stipulates that the cases regarding domestic violence be dealt with expeditiously…
23.02.2012 Cairo, 22 February 2012
“Egypt sets Mubarak trial verdict date” (Al Jazeera)
The verdict in the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be delivered on June 2, according to the judge presiding over the case. The prosecution has called for the death penalty for Mubarak, who refrained from a chance to address the court in the final session…
16.02.2012 Dubai, 16 February 2012
“Speedy resolution of civil and commercial disputes” (Gulf News)
Since the widening in last November of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts‘ jurisdiction to hear cases other than disputes between DIFC-registered free zone companies there has been an increasing number of cases coming from other enterprises due to the speedy resolution of civil and commercial disputes…
16.02.2012 Damascus, 15 February 2012
“Syria to hold referendum on new constitution” (BBC Middle East)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has decreed that a referendum on the new draft constitution will be held on 26 February. The document drops the article giving the ruling Baath Party unique status as the "leader of state and society". However, it is highly questionable how a referendum could be carried out efficiently and credibly at short notice and while much of the country is in chaos…
09.02.2012 Cairo, 8 February 2012
“Sentence of Egyptian tycoon for diva's murder confirmed” (Morocco World News)
A 15-year jail sentence handed down in 2010 to Egyptian tycoon Hisham Talaat Moustafa for the murder of a Lebanese pop singer has been confirmed by a Cairo court. Moustafa was accused of having paid a former policeman $2 million for the murder of Suzanne Tamim…
09.02.2012 Cairo, 5 February 2012
“Egypt move on foreign groups puts aid at risk” (Financial Times)
Egypt has referred 40 employees of local and foreign civil society groups to a criminal court in a move that could jeopardise a significant amount of military and economic assistance to the country. It is not yet known what charges they are facing…
09.02.2012 Riyadh, 4 February 2012
“Saudi activists sue government over driving ban” (The Straits Times)
Manal al-Sherif, the icon of an Internet campaign launched last year urging Saudi women to defy a ban on driving and a human rights activist have filed law suits against the interior ministry for refusing to issue them driver's licences and banning them from driving a car…
02.02.2012 Doha, 31 January 2012
“Qatar’s family law breaches women’s basic rights: Expert” (The Peninsula)
Qatar’s family law encourages violence against women on several pretexts, says a prominent legal expert calling for amending the provisions of the legislation along with raising awareness in the society against oppressing women…
02.02.2012 Amman, 31 January 2012
“Cabinet approves draft political parties bill“ (Zawya)
“Cabinet approves draft political parties bill“ (Zawya) According to the provisions of the draft law citizens have the right to assemble parties by their own free will and the proportion of women founders shall not be less than 10 percent of the total number of founders…
18.01.2012 Amman, 17 January 2012
“Jordan to scrap regulation on passport for women“ (The Gulf Today)
A regulation that prevents married women from obtaining a passport without the written consent of their husbands shall be scrapped, the ministry of interior said…
05.01.2012 Riyadh, 5 January 2012
„Labor Ministry working with Haia to protect rights of saleswomen“ (Arab News)
The Saudi Ministry of Labour and the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Protection of Vice (Haia) will join forces to supervise the implementation of a 2006 law banning men from working in women’s lingerie stores…
05.01.2012 Khartoum, 4 January 2012
“Opposition paper shut down again in Sudan” (The Gulf Today)
The Rai al-Shaab newspaper, belonging to the party of Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi – once a key figure in the regime of President Omar al-Bashir but now one of his fiercest critics – was shut down again on Monday just months after it started publishing again following an earlier raid…
29.12.2011 Tel Aviv, 28 December 2011
„Israelis rally against ultra-Orthodox extremism“ (BBC News Middle East)
The Israeli government has ordered a crackdown on intolerance at home backing recent protests against some ultra-Orthodox who are seeking to segregate men and women...
29.12.2011 Cairo, 27 December 2011
„Egypt court orders end to 'virginity tests' in army prisons“ (Al Arabiya News)
An Egyptian court ordered the Egyptian army on Tuesday to stop forced virginity tests on female detainees which have been justified by the military as a necessity to head off possible charges of rape...
22.12.2011 Dubai, 17 December 2011
“Amnesty, HRW urge Saudi to scrap amputations“ (Zawya)
Human rights organisations have urged Saudi authorities to void a sentence passed by Riyadh’s General Court to chop off the right hands and left feet of six bedouin men accused of "highway robbery"…
15.12.2011 Dubai, 13 December 2011
„UAE ready with draft federal insol-vency law“ (Gulf News)
The first Federal Insolvency Law, currently at the draft stage, will have clear provisions for bankruptcy procedures, defining the rights of shareholders and creditors in the event of insolvency, restructuring or even dissolution of a corporate entity…
15.12.2011 Kuwait City, 12 December 2011
"Kuwait begins trial of dozens of state-less protesters“ (ahramonline)
A Kuwait court yesterday charged 31 stateless people, locally known as ‚bidoons‘, with illegal assembly and assaulting police during demonstrations earlier this year to demand citizenship and other basic rights. Under Kuwaiti law, only citizens have the right to hold public gatherings while foreigners are banned…
15.12.2011 Cairo/Sanaa, 8 December 2011
„Human Rights Watch urges Yemen to ban child marriage, details plight of country’s child brides“ (The Washington Post)
Human Rights Watch urged authorities in Yemen to set 18 as the minimum age for marriage. According to a report by this group, approximately 14 percent of girls in Yemen are married before the age 15, and 52 percent are married before they are 18 years old. This issue has also been highlighted by Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman, one of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners...
08.12.2011 Baghdad, 8 December 2011
„Laws not enough to counter violence against women“ (Iraqinews.com)
Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki emphasised in his speech on the International Day on anti-women violence that violence against women must be tackled with new laws as well as education…
08.12.2011 Mecca, 7 December 2011
“Australian faces lashes for blasphemy in Saudi Arabia“ (BBC News Asia)
An Australian man on a pilgrimage to Mecca has been sentenced to 500 lashes and a year in prison after being convicted of blasphemy by judges in Saudi Arabia.…
28.11.2011 Tunis, 23 November 2011
“Table ronde sur le rôle de la femme dans le processus de transition démocratique” (Le Temps Tunisien)
Le Centre de recherches, d'études, de documentation et d'information sur la femme (CREDIF) a organisé au siège du gouvernorat de Béja, une table ronde sur ‘Le rôle de la femme dans le processus de transition démocratique’…
28.11.2011 Manama, 23 November 2011
“Bahrain’s King Hamad promises human rights reforms” (BBC News Middle East)
Bahrain’s King Hamad promised reforms in Bahrain, which has a majority Shia Muslim population, to prevent abuses by security forces in the future…
28.11.2011 Dubai, 22 November 2011
“Saudi falls short on opening door for female lawyers” (ArabianBusiness.com)
Saudi government is planning to allow female lawyers to participate in court in a departure from strict gender segregation…
17.11.2011 Ankara, 16 November 2011
“Turkish Parliament passes broadcast law” (Hürriyet Daily News)
Turkey’s Parliament passed a law which opens the door for foreign companies to invest in Turkey’s dynamic media sector…
17.11.2011 Mecca, 13 November 2011
“300 lashes for practicing black magic” (Arab News)
A man, arrested by Saudi police because he allegedly ‘acted suspiciously’, has been sentenced to eights months in prison and 300 lashes on charge of practicing Black Magic…
01.11.2011 Cairo, 25 October 2011
“Egyptian expats can vote” (The Egyptian Gazette)
An administrative court ruled that millions of Egyptians living abroad will have the right to vote in the upcoming parliamentary election…
25.10.2011 Doha, 25 October 2011
“Qatar imposes new anti-human trafficking law” (Gulf News)
People involved in human trafficking in Qatar face 15 years in prison and hefty fines under a new antihuman trafficking law…
24.10.2011 Riyadh, 24 October 2011
“Women and divorce in Saudi courts” (Arab News)
Saudi women who institute divorce proceedings against their husbands embark on a long and arduous journey towards an open-ended outcome due to gender-biased laws and court proceedings...