National Board of Bar Association to hold emergency meeting on Wednesday

Tunis: President of the Tunisian Bar Association, Hatem Mziou, said that an emergency meeting will be held by the Board Wednesday, "to take decisive measures regarding the legal profession and its future.»The board will also discuss the possibility of organising an extraordinary general meeting as a response to the ongoing attacks on the legal profession, he added.During a press conference held, Tuesday, at the headquarters of the Lawyer's House, Mziou pointed out that lawyers will observe a general strike in all courts nationwide on Thursday as well as a rally in front of the courthouse.«Lawyers, just like judges and Tunisian citizens, are not above the law. They are the ones who are much involved in its application as well as guarantee freedoms and respect for rights,» he pointed out.He reiterated that «lawyers are not disrespecting the State. They are simply asking for respect,» indicating that «the ongoing escalation and incitement against lawyers must be stopped.»He added «we are not here to be implicated in political disputes. We have a patriotic role in defending the homeland with our structures. We have a great history of defending rights, the civil State and democracy.»According to him, the security raid carried out against the Lawyer's House is an attack against the President of the Bar and against all lawyers.Mziou called on the President of the Republic to intervene urgently to listen to the lawyers and understand their concerns.«We trust the Head of State and we showed that after July 25. We would like reform Tunisia and apply the Constitution so as to protect citizens' rights and freedoms,» he said .Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse