Lawyers of political prisoners to fight for their rights
- 1.08.2011, 12:35
Lawyers Hanna Bakhtsina and Darya Lipkina, who failed to pass an extraordinary competency appraisal initiated by the Justice Ministry of Belarus, are set to defend their right for pursuing their professional activities.
Hanna Bakhtsina, who defended Iryna Khalip, told to BelaPAN that she had made a written statement to the Personnel Review Board. She stated that she is set to challenge its decision. The lawyer expects Regulations on the procedure of challenging which is not given to her yet. “I do not drop my plans and wishes to defend myself, and I will do that in full measure,” Bakhtsina said.
Darya Lipkina, who defended Mikita Likhavid, a person involved in the so-called mass riots case, has also stated that she disagrees with the decision of the Personnel Review Board. In spite of the fact that Lipkina failed to pass the appraisal, she continues her work. “The Personnel Review Board does not have a right to decide anything concerning termination of authorities or continuation of professional activities,” she explained. According to the procedure, the materials of work of the Personnel Review Board are passed to the Qualifications Commission, which is to take decisions basing upon that. These decisions could be challenged in a judicial procedure. “I do not know what a decision would be in my case, but I certainly would not agree with a negative decision,” Lipkina said.
A decision on extraordinary competency appraisal of lawyers from June 15 till September 15 was adopted by the Justice Ministry in May. Its aim is “to increase responsibility of lawyers for performing state functions for defending rights and freedoms of natural and legal persons, high quality of performing professional duties for rendering legal assistance.”
A session of the Personnel Review Board at which disbarring of Hanna Bakhtsina and Darya Lipkina was discussed, took place on July 26.
On July 30 Belarusian human rights activists sent an address to Gabriela Knaul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. They expressed concern over persistent pressure on the community of lawyers in Belarus.
As it was informed earlier, in February the Justice Ministry disbarred 4 lawyers of Minsk City Bar: Aleh Aheeu, Tatsyana Aheeva, Uladzimir Toustsik and Tamara Haraeva, who defended political prisoners arrested in the case related to the events in Minsk on December 19. On March 6 Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer, was disbarred.