Babaryka and Kalesnikava’s lawyer to be disbarred Updated
Aliaksandr Pylchanka (center) outside the Ministry of Justice building in Minsk. October 15, 2020. Photo: tut.by
The Ministry of Justice has ordered today to revoke the license of Aliaksandr Pylchanka, counsel for arrested opposition leaders Viktar Babaryka and Maryia Kalesnikava. The ruling is not final, but it is likely to be approved by the Bar Association.
The decision says that Pylchanka “discredited the title of lawyer” by “calling for unlawful actions, including the blocking and disarming of military units.”
The allegation stems from the lawyer’s comment for the tut.by news website. In the August 14 publication, Aliaksandr Pylchanka urged Prosecutor General to investigate reports of violence against civilians. The lawyer also stressed that the Prosecutor General's Office should suspend the Minister of Internal Affairs, his deputies and the head of the detention center.
The Ministry of Justice also ruled to disbar Yulia Levanchuk, lawyer of Maksim Kharoshyn, the owner of a flower shop in Minsk, who was badly beaten after his detention on October 13.
The lawyer was penalized for allegedly using threats in her online conversation with the investigator in charge of the police violence case.
Levanchuk says she disagrees and will appeal the decision in court.
UPD. Aliaksandr Pylchanka's license is officially cancelled starting October 16.
