Egyptian women’s access to judiciary still limited
The Egyptian State Council approved the appointment of women as members to the council and the Public Prosecution office, in tandem with the launch of a social media campaign against a personal status draft law that activists say denies women’s rights to take control of their own decisions.
CAIRO — In a first such move, the State Council, one of the pillars of the judiciary in Egypt, announced March 14 its decision to allow the appointment of women as members of the State Council and the Public Prosecution.
According to the decision, female members who are already assuming positions in the Administrative Prosecution Authority or the State Lawsuits Authority, are eligible to request a transfer to the State Council to hold the position of delegate or deputy. Until now, appointment to these positions was limited to men exclusively.
The chairman of the State Council, Councilor Mohamed Mahmoud Hossam el-Din, said in a press statement March 14 that the council’s administration has set several conditions and measures for the transfer of female members. The transferred female member must have an excellent or very good record in their bachelor’s degree from any law school; hold two diplomas for postgraduate studies, one of which must be in public law or administrative law; have a good career record with no penalties or negative remarks; pass a personal interview before the competent committee of the State Council; and meet all the conditions mentioned in the State Council’s law.
According to Taha Karsoua, vice president of the State Council Taha Karsoua, who spoke in a TV interview March 16, the State Council’s decision did not set a quota for women, and the appointment of female members will depend on the number of transfer requests submitted by the women working in the Administrative Prosecution Authority and the State Lawsuits Authority.
