The Assembly of Southern Lawyers is calling for respect for the independence of the Judiciary amid ongoing public debate surrounding the Court of Appeal’s decisions in the Preventive Detention Order (PDO) proceedings.
In a statement issued on Monday, it said judicial decisions involving constitutional rights, personal liberty and matters of significant public importance would naturally generate strong public interest and discussion.
However, while reasoned criticism of judicial decisions was legitimate and necessary in a democracy, it said there was an important distinction between robust criticism of a judgment and personal attacks on judicial officers.
The Assembly warned that unsupported allegations undermining the integrity, impartiality or independence of judges risked weakening public confidence in the Judiciary.
It said the PDO proceedings involved complex constitutional questions concerning preventive detention, emergency powers and individual liberty, which the courts were constitutionally mandated to determine.
The Assembly also noted that written reasons for the Court of Appeal’s decision had not yet been delivered and urged the public to avoid speculation about the Court’s legal reasoning until those reasons were available.
The Assembly called for public discussion to remain respectful and informed, and focused on the legal issues rather than unfounded attacks against judicial officers or the Judiciary.
It said respect for the rule of law required disagreements with judicial decisions to be expressed responsibly and confidence in constitutional institutions to be preserved.