Belarus: Disbarment of human rights lawyer Mr Pavel Sapelka
On 3 March 2011, the Board of the Minsk City Bar disbarred human rights lawyer Mr Pavel Sapelka following prolonged pressure from the Belarusian Ministry of Justice. Pavel Sapelka is a well-known lawyer, member of Presidium of Minsk City Bar, who has worked at the legal consultation office No 2, Savetsky district, Minsk since 1994.
Further Information
He is the legal representative of imprisoned opposition Presidential Candidate, Mr Andrei Sannikau, as well as pro-democracy activist Mr Dzmitry Dashkevich and Mr Pavel Seviarynets, head of the Electoral Headquarters of former Presidential Candidate Vitali Rymasheyvsky, also currently held in detention by the State Security Agency (KGB).
As a result of the Minsk City Bar's decision, Pavel Sapelka is no longer legally entitled to work as a lawyer in Belarus. The decision follows a number of reported requests from the Belarusian Ministry of Justice urging the Minsk City Bar to initiate disciplinary procedures against several lawyers representing opposition and pro-democracy activists who have been subjected to judicial harassment - including prolonged detention without access to lawyers - since the civil unrest which followed the Presidential Elections of 19 December 2010.
Until this point, the Minsk City Bar had refused such requests on the basis that no breaches of professional or ethical norms had occurred.
This latest act follows the disbarment, in February 2011, of four other lawyers: Aleg Ageev, legal representative of Presidential Candidate Ales Mikhalevich, his mother, lawyer Tatiana Ageeva, Vladzimir Toutsik and Tamara Garaeva who were representing human rights journalist Ms Iryna Khalip, Andrei Sannikau's wife, who is currently under house arrest.
Front Line believes that the disbarment of Pavel Sapelka and other human rights lawyers is directly related to their legal work in defence of human rights, particularly their legal defence of imprisoned pro-democracy activists and other political prisoners in Belarus. Front Line believes these disbarments constitute an attempt to intimidate the human rights lawyers in Belarus and limit their independence, and are as such a transgression of the international human rights norms and standards to which Belarus is party.
