Justice Ministry threatens lawyers again

And the ministry promises to impose “disciplinary and administrative measures”.

According to the Justice Ministry, “recently the leadership of Minsk City Bar Association lost control over observance of rules of lawyers’ professional ethics, which resulted in failure to obey their professional duties by certain lawyers. A number of statements have been made, which undermine the authority of the bar.”

“The Justice Ministry has cancelled licenses of 5 lawyers for different law violations. The Justice Ministry has made a submission to the Presidium of Minsk City Bar Association on this fact,” the website of the Ministry informs.

“The Justice Ministry has warned some officials of the Presiduum of Minsk City Bar Association, that in case the policy of confrontation would be continued, and issues of disbarring lawyers, who had violated the law, would continue to be politicized, and unprincipled stand towards the results of one’s actions continues, disciplinary and administrative measures would be imposed in accordance with the applicable procedure,” the Justice Ministry has stated.

We remind that lawyers Pavel Sapelka, Uladzimir Toustsik, Tamara Haraeva, Tatsyana Aheeva and Aleh Aheeu, who had defended the arrested participants of the peaceful protest rally against the rigged results of the presidential election, were disbarred under far-fetched pretexts.