Bar Association trying hard to deprive Mugraby of assistance of counsel
August 20, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dr. Mugraby said the following in a statement through his spokesperson:

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

The head of the bar association at Beirut is trying hard to deprive Dr. Mugraby of assistance of counsel. In theory, Dr. Mugraby can represent himself but he is in jail and has been treated as an ex-counsel. He has been assisted by members of his firm who face open threats from the bar organization.

On Wednesday morning, August 20, 2003, two of Dr. Mugraby's associates, Mr. Fakih and Mr. Abi Nader, were subjected to interrogation at the offices of the bar for having represented Dr. Mugraby without advance permission by the head of the bar, Mr. Raymond Chedid. Mr. Chedid, who filed criminal charges against Dr. Mugraby, claims that no lawyer may represent Dr. Mugraby without his personal advance permission. Representation by counsel is a compulsory requirement of Lebanese law. No appeal can be filed without the signature of a lawyer. Some delays for action are so short, i.e. 24 hours, that it is practically impossible for someone in jail to meet. Besides, papers signed by Dr. Mugraby could be set aside by not recognizing him as a lawyer.

The threat by the organization of the Beirut Bar aims at denying Dr. Mugraby his constitutional and human rights of defense and to counsel. Dr. Mugraby, an advocate of human rights and democracy, heads one of the leading law firms of Beirut and practices internationally.

He holds five graduate degrees including Doctor of the Science of Law from Columbia University in the city of New York. He has been in practice for forty years.