His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, raised the highest verses of congratulations and blessings to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the beloved King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, may God protect him, and to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Chairman of the Council Ministers, may God protect him, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the National Action Charter.
The Minister of Justice said that the royal vision and since the launch of the pioneering reform and modernization project of His Majesty the King and the historic vote of the people of Bahrain on the National Action Charter, the Kingdom has witnessed at all levels a modern renaissance based on national achievements in all areas of development, so that the Charter will be a historic station in the path of democratic development and political participation. .
He noted what has been achieved during these two decades at the level of consolidating the state of institutions and law, and strengthening the principle of separation of powers, which is the establishment of the Constitutional Court and its consideration of an independent judicial body that monitors the constitutionality of laws is one of the advanced institutional achievements, as well as the establishment of the Supreme Judicial Council in the context of strengthening the independence of the judiciary. The Public Prosecution office is an essential branch of the judiciary in the interest of preserving rights and freedoms.
He stated that the reform and modernization project has been keen, since its inception, to consolidate the principles of independence of the judiciary, equality for all before the law, access to justice, protection of rights, freedoms and guarantees of justice, which are the principles and values affirmed by the National Action Charter.
He stressed the importance of the fundamental developments that have been achieved at the level of the legislative structure related to the justice sector during the past twenty years, which included many laws, including the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Law, the Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, the Court of Cassation Law, and the Procedures Law before Sharia courts.
He also referred to the promulgation of the Unified Family Law, the opening of the Sharia Judiciary Complex, the establishment of the Family Conciliation Office, and the opening of the door for appealing against the Sharia rulings before the Court of Cassation, which came within the development of the system of protecting the family’s entity and supporting its stability.
Regarding the introduction of modern legal trends and practices, Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa drew attention to the issuance of the Penal Code and Alternative Measures, the Mediation Law for Settlement of Disputes, the application of the case management system, and the expansion of the scope of conciliation and reconciliation in the criminal case, as well as working on issuing a new law on restorative justice for children. Pointing to the establishment of the Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies, and the Bahrain Chamber for Settlement of Disputes.
He emphasized moving forward in the process of continuous development to improve the efficiency of the judicial apparatus, including making use of modern technology in facilitating procedures and raising their effectiveness and quality, referring in this regard to the electronic services that have been launched, including the ability to file civil, commercial and Sharia lawsuits, enforcement of judgments, and services for minors.
On the other hand, the Minister of Justice praised the royal patronage for consecrating the values of coexistence and tolerance, teaching the Noble Qur’an, ensuring freedom to practice religious rites, institutional development for endowments, and serving the obligation of zakat, pointing to the establishment of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the Noble Qur’an Administration, and the King Hamad Center for Peaceful Coexistence.