middle east

Supreme Judicial Council

Website of the Qatari Supreme Council of the Judiciary which oversees the courts and the independence of the judiciary. There is information on the court system in Qatar with overviews of the functions of each court including the Court of Cassation, the Court of Appeal, Court of First Instance, Investment Court, Civil Court, Family Court and Criminal Court. An encyclopedia of Qatari legislation is also given. The site can be viewed in Arabic only.

Qatari Legal Portal (Al-Meezan)

Website of the Qatari Legal Portal provided by the Ministry of Justice. The site has full text legislation dating back to 1961 which can be searched by date, subject and type of legislation along with full text treaties Qatar has signed. Selected judgements of the Court of Cassation can be browsed by subject or date or searched by keyword. Copies of the Official Gazette are also available back to 1961. The site can be viewed in Arabic with limited content available in English.

Arab Center for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Education (ACIHL)

French NGO doing research and translation work and giving training. Its website provides articles and other publications, including the ‘Recueil des textes des droits de l’Homme de la Ligue des États arabes’ (Collected Human Rights Documents of the League of Arab States) and the Center’s journal, ‘Revue Arabe du Droit International Humanitaire et des Droits Humains’. Translations of key official texts - including the Statute of the Arab Court of Human Rights and the Arab Charter of Human Rights - are available under ‘Sources’.

Arab Center for International Humanitarian Law

The Arab Centre for International Humanitarian Law is an advisory body for the National Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies and is based in Riyadh. The Centre’s website, which is in Arabic, provides news, studies and articles, information about recently-published books and journals, and details of Arab national committees for international humanitarian law. It also has an Events page.

Lebanese Constitutional Council

Website of the Lebanese Constitutional Council, the body which oversees the constitutionality of laws and rules on electoral disputes. Decisions of the Council are given on the site along with a guide to the work of the Constitutional Council and a copy of the Constitution. The site can be viewed in English, French and Arabic but most of the judgements aren’t given in English.

Constitution of Qatar

Electronic copy of the 2003 Constitution of Qatar made freely available online by the Qatar Government Communications Office. The Constitution is provided in English in PDF and has been amended up to 2024. There are chapters on the state and principles of government, basic pillars of society, public rights and duties and the organisation of powers including the role of the Amir and legislative, executive and judicial powers.

Arab Center for the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI)

ACRLI is a non-governmental organization that was set up by a group of professional lawyers, judges and academics from Arab countries. It seeks to promote good governance and the rule of law in the Arab world. The Center holds events, carries out projects and publishes studies and reports. The ACRLI website provides a subscription-based database of legislation from 18 Arab jurisdictions, together with selected court decisions and references to books, journal articles and websites.

World Legal Materials from the Middle East

Collection of links to resources for the law of Middle Eastern jurisdictions, provided by the Cornell Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School. Covers 15 countries. Includes links to constitutions, government websites, some judicial sites, a few collections of laws and other materials relating to the law and legal systems of the Middle East. Most of the materials linked to are in English, but some are in Arabic and some in French.

NIPC Gulf

Blog about intellectual property and commercial law in the Gulf states, by English barrister and arbitrator Jane Lambert. Discusses recent cases and other legal developments, events and other matters. A Twitter feed is available.

Subscribe to middle east