Beirut, 8 August 2003

The Arrest of Dr. Muhammad Mugraby

Dr. Muhammad Mugraby was arrested on August 8 2003 at the Ministry for Justice's Office of Central Criminal Investigation. The lawyer at the Court of Appeal, Judge Joseph Maamari at the Office of Central Criminal Investigation, ordered the arrest of Dr. Muhammad Mugraby contrary to the provisions of article 79 of the code of lawyers and without having obtained the permission to pursue it.

The Attorney General gave the order following a complaint filed by the order of the president of the Bar association of Beirut against counselor Mugraby as a result of a non existing disciplinary decision which consisted in striping counselor Mugraby from the order of the Bar association, although this decision is disputed in Beirut's Civil Court (No 222/2003). The execution of the decision was stopped in accordance with articles 553, 563 and 111 of the code of lawyers.

A source close to the "Committee to elect Dr. Mugraby as President of the Bar association " affirmed that this arrest aims at preventing Dr. Mugraby from standing as a candidate for the next elections after the mass-medias announced his candidacy.

The human rights organizations call for an urgent meeting Saturday August 9th, 2003 at 10:00AM at the offices of MIRSAD in Badaro to take urgent action aiming at releasing Dr. Mugraby whose arrest is illegal.