A draft law regulating the procedure of Saudi women’s access to court was announced on Sunday, the London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported.
The Saudi Ministry of Justice announced that the draft law dealt with all aspects regarding women’s presence in court, their communication with the judge and the authorities of the official who represented them.
"The ministry relied on Islamic jurisprudence views regarding this matter," Minister of Justice Dr. ‘Abdullah bin Muhammad Al A-Sheikh told the paper. He added that these laws, once approved by the king, would be implemented in all Saudi courts.
According to existing Saudi Arabian law, women are not allowed to represent themselves in court. Rather, they must have a male lawyer to represent them. Also, women most often may not testify in court. When they do testify, it is up to the judge to decide whether their testimony is valid.
The A-Sharq Al-Awsat report did not reveal the content of the law. Therefore, it is not yet known how the existing laws would change, if at all.