Defendant lawyers for Issa, al-Bunni threaten to pullout

The lawyers defending the two detainees -- the spokesman of the Democratic National Coalition Habib Issa, and member of the Defense Committee For Civil Society Walid al-Bunni -- have threatened to withdraw from the trial session "if the higher state security court will not open up (to the press and public) its sessions."

To achieve this purpose, the lawyers, asked for permitting the entry of foreign diplomats and journalists to the court's hall whose chairman Fayez al-Nouri considered that this condition of "openness is met and fulfilled with the presence of 'lawyers'." A pretext rejected by the defendant lawyers, stressing that having SANA's correspondent attending the session is not enough.

The judge postponed the session in order to investigate and discuss this point, but without reaching an understanding. The judge set June 12 as a date for the trial session of doctor Walid al-Bunni and June 19 for lawyer Habib Issa.