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.
