“WORDS OF JUSTICE” / Paroles de justice
Our web-based legal forum is an original and innovative project that aims to facilitate and promote intellectual exchanges across the legal spectrum. We invite practitioners such as judges, researchers, lawyers and academics to come together and discuss legal issues that are pervasive in the region.
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Access to law and justice
This topic explores the elements surrounding access to justice and the overall efficiency of Arab societies in addressing citizens’ demands. The topic is analysed through several lenses such as the existence and availability of alternative routes in accessing justice, the relationship between the litigants and their expectations vis-à-vis the law. In particular, we look at the expectations of justice by citizens, the overall justice ‘supply’ and the demand of citizens. We assess the role of the ‘gate-keepers’ of justice such as judges, lawyers and prosecutors and their role in addressing the demands of the society. We also look at the principles of due process and fair trial and how they are practiced in reality.
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Justice through international actors
This topic discusses the role of international cooperation and the myriad of judicial reform projects that are currently taking place in their region. We address questions of impact, attitude and legitimacy of these projects: Are these projects really bettering the administration of justice? Is there an increasing lack of interest in and by international donors themselves? Are there any hidden agendas , or are they truly based on the aim of promoting the use of universal legal values?
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Do Justice
To do justice is to establish a link between individuals, values and society. This in of itself includes the activities of the judiciary. This topic aims to approach justice from an interdisciplinary perspective combining thoughts and concepts from of sociology, anthropology, and philosophy of law. It considers the conceptions of justice and how they are practiced in reality. Moreover, the topic explores the historical perspective of rendering justice, and seek to promote discussions on what justice in the Middle East really is, and whether the delivery of it is ultimately, a political act.
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Commercial and Practical Law of International Affairs
The practice of international affairs is prevalent in current legal affairs. Arbitration, IP, and Offsets are today heart of the legal debates. This component will therefore work on these three concepts in relation to Arab countries. Specifically, the topic aims to address the following: Where is the place of arbitration, and is its means for dispute resolution in the eyes of the multinationals, more effective than the Arab legal systems? What are the issues related to IP and how do we go about in protecting IP in Arab societies? Finally, how are Offsets conceived and how have they become unavoidable in the conclusion of international public markets of great importance?
Rules of conduct for ‘Words of Justice’
‘Words of justice’ is a non-political online platform. All users must kindly, but firmly, remain neutral in their observations and comments. The discussions in this platform are intended to promote intellectual excellency and research. We therefore ask that all users are courteous to one another and that any opposing views are based on ideas and not people. Prior to publication, all comments submitted are approved by the moderators. The moderators reserve the right to delete any comments that are in contravention of the rules of conduct listed here or anywhere on the platform.
Moderators
Amr Soliman
A lawyer by training, Amr Soliman holds a master’s degree in comparative international private law from the University of Jean Moulin Lyon III. He is a doctoral candidate from the same university. Amr joined IHEJ in March 2013 where he was responsible for the Arab countries development programme. Before joining IHEJ, Amr Soliman was deputy director for “Governance” at the French Embassy in Cairo. Since October 2013, he is Secretary General and founder of IEDJA. Amr returned to Egypt in 2015 as an advisor for the European Commission’s project on the Modernization of the Administration of Justice in Egypt.
Léo Marty
Léo Marty holds a Master degree in international relations and arabic from the Advanced international studies the National Institute for foreign languages and civilisations (INALCO) in Paris as well as a Master of Research in political studies from the advanced school for social studies (EHESS) where he worked on honour killings in Palestine. He joined IEDJA through IHEJ in June 2015. Since, Leo have been actively participating in the development of IEDJA, promoting its activities, outreach and projects.
Sara Razai
Sara joined the Faculty of Law at University College London in September 2014 as a Phd Candidate. Her thesis is a comparative study on the role and significance of the judiciary in the Arab world. She is also a legal consultant and has worked with several Governmental and non-Governmental organisations providing with legal and regional advise in the MENA region. Her primary research interests are Judicial Studies, with particular focus on empirical legal methods.
Mehdi El Harrak
Mehdi El Harrak is currently a PhD student at the School of Comparative Law at the Sorbonne. He is a graduate in Arab Business law from Paris II Panthéon Assas University as well as Comparative International Law of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne University. Between January 2014 to December 2016, Mehdi worked as a lawyer in Areva. He has been a teaching assistant at SciencesPo Paris, and have held talks at ESSEC and the Burgundy School of Business. Mehdi joined IEDJA as a research associate after his internship at IHEJ.
Edouard Jourdain
Dr. Edouard Jourdain holds a doctorate in political studies from The advanced school for social studies (EHESS). His thesis explored war and theological-political problem, questioning the legacy of Karl Marx and Carl Schmitt. Specialising on Proudhon and anarchy, Edouard teaches political philosophy at the Institut catholique de Paris and l’Ecole nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. Since 2010, at the IHEJ, Edouard holds seminars on legal and political philosophy for judges at the National school for the judiciary (ENM).
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