Judicial paralysis continues in Lebanon

The judges' strike has been going on for almost six months. The strike began because their salaries were no longer sufficient to cover their basic living expenses or even to get them to the justice palaces to carry out their duties.

The Supreme Judicial Council will convene on Monday and may call judges to resume their work.

Thus, judicial sources pointed out that while the council meets regularly and is not focused on the strike by judges, it may address this matter.

Sources also explained that the council has repeatedly urged judges to conduct judicial affairs at a minimum and to deal with urgent, necessary, and humanitarian issues—which many judges already do. 

Judicial sources and groups of judges ask, "what is behind such a call?" Judges' salaries are still at LBP 1,500. And, despite talk of providing judges and other public sector employees a threefold rise based on the wage, provided that it does not exceed LBP 12 million, judges have not yet received anything.

The sources continued by saying that even if the judges could go to the Justice palaces, the offices lacked electricity and supplies. For instance, in Beirut, the Secretariat of the Judicial Council requested assistance from the Governor of Beirut with cleaning and rubbish removal at the Palace of Justice. The Beirut Bar Association also contributed to some submissions to solve similar outstanding logistical issues in Beirut, Baabda, and Jdideh.

Furthermore, many judges mentioned that they had lost much of their financial aid for school, university, and hospital. They also said they had received a monthly grant from the Judges Mutual Fund for three months, ranging between $600 and $1200, rather than the grant previously given to them every three months, but this issue is unstable and unsustainable.

Other judges wanted to know what the Supreme Judicial Council had done to improve the conditions of judges and what its plan is to end the forces strike they did not want to begin with. And why didn't the council take action to provide judges with aid so they could carry on as the Army Commander did?

However, the Head of the Beirut Bar Association, Nader Kasbar, urged the judges to halt their strike, noting that the syndicate was working to find a solution and enhance the judges' working circumstances.

Additionally, Kasbar emphasized the severe harm done to lawyers, some of whom had to close their offices owing to a strike. He also warned that he would publicly demand the dismissal of every judge who continues the strike as of Monday.

He also discussed boosting salaries, resolving issues in the palaces of justice, and possibly returning judges to work, but the strike has yet to be called off.

Will the next week see any changes or fixes ending the longest judicial strike?