The General Assembly of the FBE, meeting in Paris on 28th September 2021 deplores the political persecution of lawyers in Belarus. Lawyers, who express views contrary to those of the government or who represent peaceful protestors or opposition leaders in courts, face constant pressure. Repression against law practitioners include criminal persecution, administrative arrests, or punitive disciplinary proceedings. More than twenty Belarusian lawyers, who took a political and civic stance, have been deprived of the right to practice their profession.

We regret that key self-governing bodies of lawyers have implemented this repression by disbarring lawyers and depriving them of the right to practice.

We call upon the lawyers’ bodies to reinstate those that have been disbarred and to resist the political persecution of lawyers.