Simultaneous with the press conference of the Spokesman for the Guardian Council, the executive board of SKODA and the presidents and members of the executive board of Iranian bar associations, as well as a group of Iranian lawyers from all over the country, held a peaceful rally outside the Guardian Council in Tehran, on Saturday morning, August 26, 2023.
The protestors believe that the bill adopted by the parliament will lead to the dependence of the Bar Association on the government and undermine the independence of the Bar Association.
The demonstrators demanded that the Guardian Council reject the ratified bill.
The National Union of Bar Associations of Iran (SKODA) is a non-governmental organization that was formed to select and accept legal trainees and coordinate among bar associations.
This rally took place in response to a recent bill adopted by the mullahs’ parliament (Majlis) in violation of the independence of the legal profession. The lawyers protested against this bill and demanded the Guardian Council’s rejection of the bill.
In their peaceful assembly, the Iranian lawyers tried to draw the authorities’ attention to the importance of the independence of the lawyers’ association in fair and just proceedings.
The bill adopted by the mullahs’ parliament on Sunday, August 20, 2023, obliges the Iranian Bar Association to comply with the decisions of a delegation in charge of regulations. On the other hand, the parliament granted the authority to revoke the decisions of this delegation to the Ministry of Economy. Whereas, previously, such authority belonged to the Supreme Administrative Court of Justice.
If the Guardian Council upholds the bill, the Bar Association will become one of the institutions dependent on the Ministry of Economy. (The state-run Aftabnews.com, August 26, 2023)
