Beirut's Justice palace. (Photo credit: NNA/File)
At the request of its president, Judge Souhail Abboud, the Higher Judicial Council (HJC) is scheduled to hold a general assembly Friday, Sept. 23 to discuss ending the Lebanese judges' strike, a judicial source told L'Orient-Le Jour.
Lebanese judges have been on strike since mid-August to demand salary readjustments due to record depreciation of the national currency amidst a deep multidimensional crisis and total paralysis of judicial activity.
Friday's session will review the progress of talks between the HJC and Lebanese authorities with the judges. The hope is that the discussion will lead to the end of the strike.
While the Lebanese liras reached a record low against the dollar this week — LL39,000 to $1, as of Monday — the salaries of judges have not risen accordingly. The monthly salary of many judges is now equivalent to only a few hundred dollars.