On February 28, KGB officers cracked down on lawyers in Minsk. According to human rights activists, at least 12 lawyers were detained. Most of them have been released, and some remain in detention. Over the past three and a half years, hundreds of lawyers have been subjected to repression for political reasons: some have become defendants in criminal and administrative cases, and some have been deprived of licenses. Currently, there are six lawyers who are political prisoners. Viasna reports what is known about the detentions, and the president of the Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers, Maryia Kolesava-Hudzilina, comments on the persecution of lawyers.
In the last few days, as many as 10 lawyers in #Belarus have been detained by the regime. These brave attorneys often represent the only lifeline to the outside world for political prisoners & they risk their own freedom to defend justice. Being a lawyer can never be a crime! pic.twitter.com/Sb9H1mquRz
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) February 29, 2024
According to Viasna, on February 28, the KGB cracked down on practicing lawyers in Minsk: 12 people were detained, two of them still remain behind bars. The exact reasons for the persecution are unknown.
Attention!Today it became known about arrests of lawyers that took place on February 28th in Belarus.Some of the detainees have been released and are at home, others are still in detention. The BAHRL sees this as an increased pressure on lawyers for their professional activities
— Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers (@BAHRLorg) February 29, 2024
This is not the first attempt by the regime to put pressure on the bar. For almost four years, lawyers have been deprived of the opportunity to carry out their activities, persecuted for helping and protecting political prisoners, deprived of licenses for flimsy reasons, and imprisoned for their work.
Maryia Kolesava-Hudzilina, president of the Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers, commented on another crackdown on lawyers:
Sources
Belarus: At least 12 detained: what is known about the KGB crackdown on lawyers
