Since 2010, the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer has been observed annually on 24 January, organised by the Coalition for the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, a global network of national and international legal organisations and bar associations. The day aims to draw attention to the plight faced by lawyers in the exercise of their profession in a particular country each year, and to urge action by government officials, international institutions, civil society, the media and the public.
in Belarus, who face pervasive systematic harassment and interference with their professional activities. Following the Presidential election and mass protests in 2020, a crackdown by the government has resulted in the targeting of lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, and dissidents. The evidence in this report documents a persistent and disturbing trend in Belarus where legal practitioners face escalating criminal sanctions, arbitrary detention, and systemic interference in their professional duties.
Vague and overbroad national security laws are being used to silence critics of the government and those upholding the rule of law. Thousands of people have been subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, and prosecution, and have been sentenced to onerous prison terms following unfair trials. There are also reports of widespread torture and other ill-treatment, as well as cases of enforced disappearance.
Constitutional and legislative changes have further eroded the independence of the judiciary and legal professional bodies. Such amendments have tightened the executive branch’s control over the judiciary and the legal profession. Accordingly, the fundamental principle of the separation of powers has been extinguished.
The Ministry of Justice exerts substantial influence over the regulation of the legal profession. The Belarus Republican Bar Association and territorial bar associations lack independence and, rather than protecting and supporting their members, are being used by the Ministry of Justice to crack down on lawyers who take on human rights and other politically sensitive cases. Lawyers have faced harassment, arrest, and detention, as well as disciplinary measures, simply for doing their job. As well as impacting on the rights of individual lawyers, this has a chilling effect on access to justice and rule of law for the people of Belarus.
Press Conference 22 January 2025
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The Executive Summary of the report on endangered lawyers in Belarus
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Report of the Coalition for the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer
– 24th January 2025 – 15th Edition – BELARUS
Download PDF in English – Download the report in Russian
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