Online event on the rights of attorneys: the Belarusian scenario
6 November 2020

Online event on the rights of attorneys: the Belarusian scenario

Belarus

On 14 November 2020, the online media project Voice of Attorney in partnership with the Committee for the Defense of Lawyers, Lawyers for Lawyers, Viasna and the Moscow Helsinki Group, is organizing an international online discussion dedicated to the events taking place in the Belarusian legal profession.

The event will take place from 10:55-15:50 (CET). For the event webpage and registration form please visit:  golosadvokata.ru/events/beldisc/eng.

On 9 August 2020, the presidential elections in Belarus took place. In the aftermath of these elections, thousands of citizens of Belarus have been arrested and detained for taking part in largely peaceful protests against the election results or by voicing criticism of the Government of Belarus. It has been reported that there has been an excessive use of force by state authorities against protesters and that many of those arrested are facing ill-treatment and poor conditions in detention.

It was reported that many of those arrested and detained have not had access to a legal representative, nor a legal representative of their own choosing. Where they have been able to meet with a lawyer, it has been alleged that the principle of lawyer-client confidentiality has not been respected. In addition, lawyers have not been granted access to pertinent information to adequately represent and defend the rights of their clients. Therefore, access to justice for citizens in Belarus has been severely curtailed.

Belarusian lawyers are prevented from carrying out their professional duties by law enforcement officers and other state agents and have been harassed, which directly threatens the independence of the legal profession in Belarus. Administrative and criminal cases are initiated against lawyers in connection to their professional activities. Some lawyers have been the subject of disciplinary proceedings. The Belarusian Bar community characterizes the current situation as a “legal default”.

Objectives of the event

  • To provide the widest possible range of interested international audience with complete and first-hand information about the state of affairs in the legal profession in Belarus;
  • To give an opportunity for voicing the reaction of foreign attorneys to the current situation and expressing support;
  • To search for ways to solve the problems faced by Belarusian attorneys, taking into account international experience;
  • To discuss a request for a public expert assessment of the current situation to competent international organizations;
  • To promote the formation of international lawyers’ communities for mutual support and counteraction to violations of professional rights;
  • To highlight the reasons for the current vulnerable position of the legal profession in Belarus, ways to prevent a recurrence of the situation in countries on post-Soviet space.

Format and speakers of the event:

Three separate sessions will take place (sessions can also be followed individually).

During the first session, Belarusian attorneys Dmitry Laevsky and Alexander Pylchenko will present brief reports on the recent developments in the Belarus legal profession. A representative of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” (http://spring96.org/ru) Valentin Stefanovich will present a human rights perspective on the problem of the independence of the legal profession in the Republic of Belarus.

In the second and third session, two panel discussions will take place. Speaker include: lawyers Karinna Moskalenko and Alexander Meleshko (Russia), lawyer Amanzhol Mukhamedyarov (Kazakhstan), lawyer Natalia Matskevich (Belarus), Maître Carbon de Seze (France), Prof Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou (United Kingdom). Each panel discussion will be followed by an interactive block, during which the moderator will voice questions and replies from the audience of the online event.

Technical details:

Date and time: November 14 (Saturday) 10:55-15:50 (CET)

For registration, please visit: golosadvokata.ru/events/beldisc/eng

The detailed programme will be shared once the formal confirmations are received. The event will be held at Zoom. The link and the technical details will be shared with the confirmed participants. Simultaneous translation will be available between Russian, French and English.

The event will be also streamed online in the official YouTube channel of the “Voice of Attorney” project. The link will be sent to all registered participants.

 

Meer nieuws uit Belarus

26 June 2024

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: public letter to the Belarusian authorities on the continued incommunicado detention of Maksim Znak

Belarus

On 26 June, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Lawyers for Lawyers expresses concern over the continued incommunicado detention of lawyer Maksim Znak. According to information received, Mr Znak has now been refused access to his family

Lees verder
16 April 2024

‘Flight to Lithuania’ — interview with Natalia Matskevich and Paulius Griciunas

Belarus

A new law has been passed in Lithuania which allows lawyers from outside the European Union to register as third-party lawyers in Lithuania. This legislative advance is of great symbolic importance according to Belarusian lawyer Natalia Matskevich. By Trudeke Sillevis

Lees verder
21 March 2024

Joint oral statement to Human Rights Council on Belarus

Belarus

On 19 March 2024, Lawyers for Lawyers, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute delivered an oral statement during the interactive dialogue on the interim oral update of the High Commissioner on the situation of

Lees verder
7 February 2024

Report on Belarus: The Crisis of the Legal Profession Continued Repressions 2022 – 2023

Belarus

In cooperation with the American Bar Association (ABA) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), the Center for Constitutionalism and Human Rights, Right to Defense, and Lawyers for Lawyers have prepared this report to summarize the ongoing worrying

Lees verder