The Principle of Equality of Arms, with a Comparative Look at Foreign Judicial Documents and Precedent and Iranian Civil Procedural Law

In order for the proceedings to be fair, the rules derived from the legal principles of civil proceedings must be observed by the litigants and the authority. One of these principles is the principle of equality of arms. This legal principle requires that the procedural rights of the parties be granted to them in a balanced manner, and in case of victory of one of the parties, who unfairly had more effective procedural weapons, the victory won't deserve to be confirmed and implemented; Because the duty of the government is justice, and justice cannot be achieved without granting balanced procedural rights to the litigants. This principle is discussed in legal writings, mostly in criminal proceedings, and in civil proceedings, these questions are also raised: in which documents and judicial procedures of foreign legal systems is this principle reflected and what are its results? What are the effects of the principle of equality of arms in Iran's civil procedure law? And what cases violate this principle? The findings of this research, which was carried out in a descriptive and analytical way, are: This principle originates from the principle of fair trial in the European Convention on Human Rights and is reflected in the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and is included in the French Criminal Procedure Code. The manifestations of this principle in Iran's Civil Procedure Law can be seen from: balancing the procedural rights of the parties, in having the reasonable opportunity to prepare the defense; The duty of the court to prevent the abuse of procedural rights by the parties; Right of the parties to be informed of the proceedings; Right to have an effective legal representative and Right to be heard. This right is violated by limiting one of the parties' access to documents, abusing one of the parties' financial superiority or legal knowledge, and prohibiting search.