KING HAMAD APPOINTS FIRST WOMAN JUDGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001001 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2016 TAGS: PGOV KWMN PREL KJUS KMPI BA POL REFORM SUBJECT: KING HAMAD APPOINTS FIRST WOMAN JUDGE Classified By: A/DCM Steve Bondy for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa June 6 appointed prosecutor Mona Jasem Al Kawari to be the first woman judge in Bahrain's history and in the history of the Arab Gulf states. Press reports stated that she would be assigned to the Higher Civil Court. In her public reaction to the appointment, Al Kawari said that she was proud to be the first female judge in Bahrain, but that she was not surprised by the nomination of a woman. She added that the King has been encouraging the advancement of women as part of national reforms, including the appointment of three women to the prosecutor's office in 2002 (including herself). Al Kawari credited Attorney General Ali Bin Fadhel Ghanim Al Buainain with encouraging the development of prosecutors, encouragement from which she has benefited, to prepare them for the work of judges. ¶2. (C) Ministry of Justice Assistant Undersecretary for Courts Judge Abdulla Bin Hassan Al Buainain told PolOff June 7 that Al Kawari has been a distinguished prosecutor in the prosecutor's office. He said that the Supreme Judicial Council, which presents the names of nominees to the King for appointment, had a need for someone with experience on juvenile cases. Al Kawari has such experience and understands the sensitivities of privacy and emotional stress court cases can cause juveniles. He called attention to the presently ongoing establishment of a special witness chamber specifically designed for these types of cases. Judge Abdulla expressed the need for increased involvement of women in the Ministry of Justice, saying that this appointment opens the door for more women to follow in coming years. Al Kawari's appointment gives the other judges and Ministry officials an opportunity to get accustomed to working with a woman on the bench. Judge Abdulla said it was difficult to gauge how long the Supreme Judicial Council has been considering nominating a woman, but that events like Bahrain's hosting of the Arab Women's Legal Network conference and board meeting in April has raised the visibility of the inclusion of women in prominent positions in the legal field. ¶3. (C) A source close to the Ministry of Justice told PolOff June 7 that Ministry of Justice Undersecretary Shaikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa has been pushing for the appointment of women judges since he was appointed undersecretary over two and a half years ago and was very pleased with the announcement of the highly regarded Al Kawari. The source went on to explain that theQandful (four or five) of women among the 29 prosecutors in the prosecutor's office face some limitations in their work. In Bahrain, a prosecutor's responsibilities include investigative duties and, relative to their male counterparts, women are restricted, purportedly due to family responsibilities, from participating in investigations during the night, for example, or in more sensitive sex crime-related cases. ¶4. (C) Comment: This appointment by the King is a significant step in Bahrain's reforms to include women in positions of greater authority and visibility. It is worth noting that this announcement comes two days before the election of former Bahraini Ambassador to Paris Shaikha Haya Bint Rashed Al Khalifa as President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA),the first female Arab or Muslim president of the UNGA. Mona Al Kawari and Shaikha Haya join the ranks of women in other high-profile positions such as Minister of Social Development Dr. Fatima Al Balooshi, Minister of Health Dr. Nada Haffadh, President of the University of Bahrain Shaikha Mariam Al Khalifa, and Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women and Head of the Bahrain Institute for Political Development Lulwa Al Awadhi. The King's wife Shaikha Sabeeka has also adopted a more prominent public role in her duties as First Lady and by serving as Chair of the Supreme Council for Women. Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ MONROE