The most recent being the Marina Ovsysannikova case. –
about the project
Our mission is to create in the Republic of Belarus a conscious and informed community of lawyers capable of protecting not only clients, but also their own professional rights, as well as promoting international standards of advocacy and advocacy in national legislation and practice.
In order to fulfill our mission, we will acquaint you with the existing international standards of the legal profession, talk about the practice of international bodies in the field of human rights protection,offer effective algorithms for legal protection in international instances in cases where the Belarusian authorities do not provide such protection, inform about what is happening in the world of the legal profession and around it.
You can contact the editors by email [email protected]
Write to us if you have:
- interesting practice of protecting the rights of citizens and achieving results in situations in which the Belarusian legal system finds itself;
- information about obstacles to lawyers, about mechanisms for overcoming such obstacles, about the reaction of the relevant authorities and organizations;
- information about the commission of unfriendly actions against lawyers (detentions, prosecution, deprivation of licenses, etc.);
- information of an analytical nature on the improvement and change in the legal regulation of the work of the Bar;
- personal observations and reasoning related to the work of the bar and lawyers, as well as the legal system and legal institutions in Belarus.
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Please note that the list is regularly updated. If we missed someone, please contact us at [email protected]
The information is presented in several categories:
- Lawyers subjected to criminal prosecution (3)
- Lawyers deprived of their license (18)
- Lawyers who have not passed certification procedure (and have been deprived of their license) (18)
Let’s talk about some examples of harassment of lawyers for their assistance in providing legal security for the election process and election-related criminal cases.
Lawyers subject to criminal prosecution:
Maxim Znak
Iliya Saley
Lilia Vlasova (legal professional and mediator)
Lawyers, deprived of their license:
Alexander Pylchenko
Liudmila Kazak
Konstantin Mikhel
Maxim Konon
Mikhail Kirilyuk
Yulia Levanchuk
Vladimir Sozonchuk
Mikhail Bodnarchuk
Andrej Mochalov
Dmitry Laevsky
Anton Gashinsky
Ekaterina Zheltonoga
Valery Zviagintsev
Aleksey Telegin
Natallia Matskevich
Yevgeny Pylchenko
Dmitry Lozovik
Leonid Belsky
Lawyers who have not passed certification procedure (and have been deprived of their license):
Sergey Zikratsky
Olga Baranchik
Boris Leskovsky
Vladislav Filipovich Elena
Andrey Bartashevich Shinkarevich Nikolay Yotka
Anna Vovchinskaya
Svetlana Hololovich
Olga Karpushonok
Evgeny Maslov
Yulia Kniaz
Iryna Voronkova
Igor Petrashevich
Aleksey Kerol
Alekseeva Natalia
Belov Alexander
Vantsovich Natalia
On 10 February 2021, Znak was charged with conspiracy to take state power in an unconstitutional way (Part 1 of Art. 357 of the Criminal Code), and with creating and leading an extremist group (Part 1 of Art. 361-1 of the criminal code). Those accusations are in addition to the ones that were posed in September 2020 (public calls for actions aimed at harming national security (Part 3 of Art. 361 of the Criminal Code).
On April 30, the Minsk City Court refused to cancel the detention of Maksim Znak At the moment, the period of detention has been extended until July 9, 2021.
Human rights organizations recognized Znak as a political prisoner, and the INGO Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience. The defense is represented by lawyers Dmitry Laevsky, Evgeny Pylchenko, Nadezhda Znak and Sergey Zikratsky.
The International Professional Bar Associations (ABA, CCBE) and human rights organizations have repeatedly appealed in support of Znak and the inadmissibility of persecution of lawyers for political reasons.
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee called upon the UN Human Rights Committee to take urgent measures regarding the detention of Znak and to send an urgent message to the Belarusian government on the need to adhere to the basic principles concerning the role of lawyers.
He was taken into custody on 9 September 2020 and placed into SIZO No. 1 in Minsk. He was charged under Part 3 of Art. 361 of the Criminal Code (calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus). On 17 October 2020, remand in custody was replaced with house arrest.
Since April 16, the measure of restraint has been changed from house arrest to bail. Ilya remains in the status of an accused under Article 361 of the Criminal Code and is liable to be available when summoned by the investigating authorities and the court.
Human rights organizations recognize Salei as a political prisoner. The international legal community has repeatedly appealed in his defense and the inadmissibility of persecution of lawyers for political reasons.
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee called upon the UN Human Rights Committee to take urgent measures regarding the detention of Salei and to send an urgent message to the Belarusian government on the need to adhere to the basic principles concerning the role of lawyers.
On 19 August 2020, she became a member of the opposition Coordination Council. She was arrested on 31 August 2020 and placed in SIZO No. 1 in Minsk. Unlike Znak and Salei, Vlasova was charged with non-payment of large amounts of taxes (her son’s companies were involved in the case).
On 19 October 2020, remand in custody was replaced with house arrest (67-year-old Vlasova had spent a month and a half in a pre-trial detention centre), which was later replaced by the prohibition against leaving her home. She remains a defendant in the criminal case. Human rights organizations recognize Vlasova as a political prisoner. The international legal community has repeatedly appealed in defense of Vlasova and the inadmissibility of persecution of lawyers and legal professionals for political reasons.
The essence of the claims against the lawyer lay in the content of his interview with the news portal TUT.BY. In the 14 August 2020 publication, Pylchenko expressed his views on the actions to be taken by the Prosecutor General and other officials concerning the evidence published in the media about the use of torture against detainees from 9 to 12 August in the police departments and detention facilities , as well as information about election fraud. The lawyer recommended the Prosecutor General of Belarus initiate criminal proceedings on the facts of beatings of civilians, torture and cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees. The lawyer also noted that the Prosecutor General’s Office should have removed the Minister of Internal Affairs, his deputies,
According to the Ministry of Justice, Pylchenko “made incompetent comments in media and called for illegal actions, including ‘to the blockage and disarmament of military units’”.
International organizations of lawyers have repeatedly sent letters to the Belarusian authorities in support of Pylchenko, demanding an end to the politically motivated persecution.
On 19 February 2021, the Qualification Commission on Advocacy of the Ministry of Justice decided to deprive Kazak of the law license. The license’s expiration date has not been determined yet. According to the Ministry of Justice’s press release, this decision was made due to the fact that “Lawyer Ludmila Kazak disobeyed a lawful order of a police officer, thereby committing an administrative offence under Art. 23.4 of the Administrative Code”.
The President of the Bar Council and the Bar Association of Europe addressed a letter to the Belarusian authorities in support of Kazak and pointed out the inadmissibility of obstructing the activities of lawyers.
155 lawyers signed a petition to the Ministry of Justice about the unjustified removal of Kazak’s and other lawyers’ licences.
katovsigned by 155 lawyers.
In autumn 2020, he was brought to administrative responsibility for violating the order of organizing mass events (Part 1, Art. 23.34 of the Administrative Code). According to unofficial information, he was detained together with his son near his house. On 19 February 2021, the Ministry of Justice’s Qualification Commission on Advocacy decided to deprive Mikhel of a special permit to practice law. The license’s expiration date has not yet been determined. The Ministry of Justice press release states the following grounds for such a decision: “Lawyers K. Mikhel and M. Conon took part in mass events without the appropriate permission of the local executive committee, thereby committed an administrative offence under Part 1, Art. 23.34 of the Administrative Code.” According to the Ministry of Justice,
In October, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Minsk found Conon guilty of committing an administrative offence under Part 1 of Art. 23.34 of the Administrative Code (violation of the order of organizing mass events) and sentenced him to 12 days of custody, allegedly for participating in an unauthorised rally near the city beach in Braslav.
On 19 February 2021, the Qualification Commission on Advocacy of the Ministry of Justice decided to deprive Conon of the license to practice law. The license expiration date has not yet been determined.
Kirilyuk posted on his Facebook page about what had been happening in Belarus (in particular, the authorities’ attention was attracted by his 1 September 2020 post), and also gave an interview (similarly, the interview dating 6 September 2020 attracted Ministry’s attention).
The Minsk Regional Bar disciplinary commission reprimanded Kirilyuk for his statements.
On 8 February 2021, the Ministry of Justice notified Kirilyuk that the issue of law license deprivation in connection with the above-mentioned statements was to be considered. It was signed by the head of the Department of Advocacy and Licensing of Advocacy, Podlesskaya.
On 12 February 2021, Kirilyuk requested clarification on the statements that served as the basis for considering the issue of deprivation of the law license, the answer to which was never received.
On 19 February 2021, the Qualification Commission on Advocacy of the Ministry of Justice decided to deprive Kirilyuk of his license to practice law. The license expiration date has not yet been determined. The press release of the Ministry of Justice provided the following justification for the decision: “Lawyer M. Kirilyuk made public statements on the global computer network Internet, containing rude, tactless expressions towards government officials, which is unacceptable.”
On 15 October 2020, the Qualification Commission on Advocacy of the Ministry of Justice decided to deprive Yulia Levanchuk of her law license. According to the Ministry of Justice’s press release, the decision was made due to the fact that “the lawyer of the Brest Regional Bar, Y. Levanchuk, was the initiator of correspondence with an investigator, in which she threatened him and his family members. ”
There is no further information available to the public.
On March 24, 2021, the lawyer did not pass the recertification. The reason for the recertification was a number of posts by Zikratsky on his social media. The Ministry of Justice decided that these comments did not fully comply with the law, and therefore indicated the improper performance of professional lawyer duties.
Lawyer Sergei Zikratsky was expelled from the Minsk City Bar by a resolution dating March 31, 2021 due to “the inability of fulfilling his professional duties due to insufficient qualification, confirmed by the decision of the Qualification Commission on the issues of advocacy in the Republic of Belarus.”
On March 24, 2021, materials were considered by the Qualification Commission of the Minsk City Bar on the termination of his law license due to the application of a disciplinary sanction to him in the form of an exclusion from the Minsk City Bar for committing an offense incompatible with the title of a lawyer.
She did not pass the recertification on March 24, 2021 due to “the inability of the lawyer to fulfill her professional duties due to insufficient qualification.”
He did not pass the recertification on March 24, 2021 due to “the inability of the lawyer to fulfill his professional duties due to insufficient qualification.”
He did not pass the recertification on March 24, 2021 due to “the inability of the lawyer to fulfill his professional duties due to insufficient qualification.”
The reason for considering this issue was “the fact that Sergei Pichukha committed an administrative offense (violation of the established procedure for holding a rally).”
Based on the results of considering this issue, the commission came to the conclusion that the above mentioned actions of a lawyer discredit the title of a lawyer and the legal profession, which qualified as a misdemeanor incompatible with the title of a lawyer, and leads to the termination of the law license.
On March 24, 2021 , he was deprived of his license, did not pass the recertification “due to insufficient qualification confirmed by the decision of the Qualification Commission following the results of the recertification held on March 3, 2021. “
Elena was asked if she had deliberately signed the petition against violence (a link to the petition was displayed on her social media page). And at the certification, she was demanded to give an exact citation of norms, and asked most of the questions related to criminal law, which the lawyer almost does not deal with.
She was a lawyer in a case of an administrative offense, where the judge considered that the agreement of the alleged offender with the lawyer proves his “intention to participate in unauthorized events.”
On March 24, 2021 , he was deprived of his license, did not pass the recertification “due to insufficient qualification confirmed by the decision of the Qualification Commission following the results of the recertification held on March 3, 2021. “
Based on the results of the extraordinary certification, the Qualification Commission decided that it was impossible for the lawyer to fulfill her professional duties due to insufficient qualifications in the Minsk Regional Bar.
Vovchinskaya Anna Gennadievna has 27 years of experience in the legal profession.
Based on the results of the extraordinary certification, the Qualification Commission decided that it was impossible for the lawyer to fulfill her professional duties due to insufficient qualifications in the Brest Regional Bar.
Svetlana Hololovich has worked in the legal profession for 19 years, in 2020 she took part in a campaing for free remote consultations for medical staff who directly worked with patients with COVID-19.
Mikhail Bodnarchuk defended a number of political prisoners, including the convicted journalist Katerina Borisevich and the sound engineer Vladislav Sokolovsky.
Andrey Mochalov defended independent media journalists, activists and political prisoners in courts in 2020 and 2021.
The reason for the disciplinary proceedings was Dmitry’s speech in the debates in the criminal case against Viktor Babariko. V. Babariko’s defense, among other things, was based on the innocence of other people involved in the same case. Such an assessment of the actions of other people, in the opinion of the disciplinary commission, is unacceptable and violates the Rules of Professional Ethics.
Dmitry Laevsky was the lawyer of Viktor Babariko, Maxim Znak. He actively criticized new amendments to the legislation on the legal profession.
Anton Gashinsky defended political scientist Vitaly Shklyarov, journalist Andrei Alexandrov, IT specialists of PandaDoc, author of the YouTube channel “Slutsk for Life” Vladimir Neronsky, Yegor Dudnikov, one of the accused in the “student case” lecturer of the BSUIR Olga Filatchenkova. Recently, Gashinsky also represented the interests of Sofia Sapega, who was detained together with Roman Protasevich.
“The grounds for the extraordinary certification were the facts of improper performance of their professional duties of the mentioned bureau , revealed during a random inspection of the bureau’s activities carried out by the Ministry of Justice in the first half of 2021,” the Ministry of Justice reported.
“The grounds for the extraordinary certification were the facts of improper performance of their professional duties of the mentioned bureau , revealed during a random inspection of the bureau’s activities carried out by the Ministry of Justice in the first half of 2021,” the Ministry of Justice reported.
In January 2021, she was summoned for certification at the Ministry of Justice, during which the participation of the lawyer in a video of lawyers against violence, as well as posts on the Internet related to illegal expulsion of students, was discussed. The Qualification commission made a decision about “incomplete qualification”, re-certification was appointed within 6 months.
On August 11, 2021, an extraordinary certification took place in connection with posts on social media and refusal of the lawyer to undergo knowledge testing of all the legislation of the Republic of Belarus. Qualification commission made a decision on “the impossibility of fulfilling lawyer’s professional duties due to insufficient qualifications.”
The materials of the check were sent to the disciplinary commission of the Minsk Regional Bar, where, following the results of the check, the lawyer was reprimanded, however, the Ministry of Justice canceled this decision and forwarded the materials of the check to the BRCA . On September 8, the disciplinary committee of the BRCA ordered the IOCA to exclude the lawyer from the bar. On the same day, the IOCA Council expelled Alexei Telegin from the board without the consent of the disciplinary commission.
On October 25, 2021, Natallia Matskevich was expelled from the Bar.
In the evening of October 28, a meeting of the disciplinary commission of the Minsk City Bar took place. The commission decided to expell the lawyer from the Bar for systematic violations of the Law on Advocacy.
Based on the results of the certification, the Qualification Commission made decisions on the impossibility of the lawyer Voronkova I. to fulfill her professional duties due to “insufficient qualifications”.
Irina Voronkova was the lawyer of Eduard Babariko, who has been held in the KGB pre-trial detention center since May 18.
Based on the results of the certification, the Qualification Commission made decisions on the impossibility of the lawyer Patrashevich I. to fulfill his professional duties due to “insufficient qualifications”.
Igor Petrashevich was the managing partner of the Petrashevich & Partners Law Office.
The basis for the decision of the Disciplinary Commission of the Minsk City Bar, taken on 03.11.2021, was the lawyer being subjected to administrative punishment for committing an offence under Art. 24.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (in the old edition – Art. 23.34) in November last year.
Kerol A. also provided legal support in administrative cases against demonstrators.
Currently locating outside Belarus. Lawyer Dmitry Lozovik was a defender of the political prisoner, philosopher Vladimir Matskevich.
Based on the results of certification, the Qualification Commission decided to terminate the license of Ivanov S. “for committing offenses incompatible with the title of a lawyer.” The lawyer previously actively posted on his page on Facebook, whether this was the reason is unknown.
Based on the results of certification, the Qualification Commission decided to terminate the license of Alekseeva N. “for committing offenses incompatible with the title of a lawyer.”
Based on the results of certification, the Qualification Commission decided to terminate the license of Belov A. “for committing offenses incompatible with the title of a lawyer.”
Based on the results of certification, the Qualification Commission decided to terminate the license of Vantsovich N. “for committing offenses incompatible with the title of a lawyer.” Natalya Vantsovich was the defender of the political prisoner, the mother of 5 children, Olga Zolotar.
