Human rights defenders ask for UN Special Rapporteur intervention

Five Belarusian human rights organizations have addressed Gabriela Knaul, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, in connection with the annulment of the licenses to the lawyers who defended figurants of the “19 December mass riot” case.

The address was signed by Alena Tankachova (Found for Development of Legal Technologies), Volha Smalianka (Center for Legal Transformation), Raisa Mikhailouskaya (Center for Human Rights), Tatsiana Raviaka (Belarusian Human Rights House), Aleh Hulak (Belarusian Helsinki Committee) and political scientist Yury Chavusau.

The human rights defenders inform the Special Rapporteur about the annulment of licenses to counsels Zaryna Aheyeva, Hanna Bakhtsina and Dar'ya Lipkina and the initiation of a criminal case against Tatsiana Aheyeva. They express their concern with the continuous pressurization of counsels in Belarus, accompanied with intimidation and deprivation of the right to work, which endangers the independence of the bar in the Republic of Belarus.

“We ask You to react to this information as soon as possible and start all possible actions within the framework of Your mandate”, reads the address.

Hanna Bakhtsina, counsel of Iryna Khalip (wife of former presidential candidate, political prisoner Andrei Sannikau), and Dar'ya Lipkina, counsel of political prisoner Mikita Likhavid, didn't pass the extra-schedule re-attestation that is being held by the Ministry of Justice. Zaryna Aheyeva was deprived of her license, too.

Bear in mind that earlier the Belarusian Helsinki Committee had informed the Special Rapporteur about the groundless interference of the authorities with professional activities of Aleh Aheyeu, counsel of former presidential candidate Ales Mikhalevich, and annulment of professional licenses to Uladzimir Toustsik, Tamara Harayeva, Aleh Aheyeu and Tatsiana Aheyeva, as well as about the expulsion of counsel Pavel Sapelka from the Minsk City Bar.