Solidarity Among Judges

By: Dr. Hassan Almohanadi

Chief Justice Dr. Hassan Almohanadi is the President of the Court of Cassation of the State of Qatar, as well as the President of the Supreme Judiciary Council. All opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author as an external expert and do not necessarily reflect the official position of UNODC.

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Dear Chief Justices, Judges, Judicial Professionals, Members of the Advisory Board and Secretariat of the Global Judicial Integrity Network,

As the President of the Second High-Level Meeting of the Global Judicial Integrity Network and in my personal capacity, it pains me to see the whole world suffer under the terrible weight of this catastrophic COVID-19 virus. The images on television and in the newspapers show our world valiantly coping with the unknown. Doctors, nurses and health professionals in the world are teaching us all a lesson of sacrifice, solidarity and generosity. Let us be part of the world efforts in this fight for human life. Justice mechanisms are with no doubt another dimension to a responsible and solid will to bring humanity to a final safe phase. By sticking together and looking after one another, we will all come out even more resilient than ever. It is essential to express the greatest respect to the many families that have lost their loved ones.

I and my colleagues at the Supreme Judiciary Council of Qatar are working relentlessly to face the challenges the pandemic is causing by resorting to every possible distanced method enabling us to keep the litigation process alive as much as possible, one among many ways to cast our solid will to deliver justice in whatever the situation. I trust that all of you are doing so.      

Through faith and patience, we will overcome the hardness and we will continue our lives safe and sound.

Please be safe and God protect you and your families and countries.

Dr. Hassan Almohanadi

President of the Supreme Judiciary Council

President of the Court of Cassation

State of Qatar