Ministry of Justice issued a warning to some members of the Presidium of the Minsk City Bar Association. "In case of confrontation and politicization policy towards the lawyers for having violated the law and lack of principle to the consequences of their actions, disciplinary and administrative measures will be applied to them," said the Justice Ministry.
According to the ministry, the leadership of the organization has «lost control over compliance with lawyers rules of professional ethics,» which resulted in some lawyers’ failure to fulfill their professional duties.
«Some statements, undermining the bar authority, have been made. Five lawyers have been pitched over the bar by the Ministry of Justice for various violations of legislation. The Ministry of Justice has addressed the Presidium of the Minsk City Bar Association on this fact,» said the ministry’s statement, posted on the office’s site on March 23.
Justice Ministry states that this decision has been supported by the National Bar Association, also condemning the actions of Minsk City Bar Association.
«The Ministry of Justice intends to continue to pursue prudent policies, aimed at strengthening the legal profession with qualified personnel, improving the quality of legal services, ensuring the independence of the legal profession, each attorney’s compliance with existing legislation and rules of professional ethics,» said in the department.
Justice Ministry is Displeased with Media
The Office noted that «some media have been recently slanting the public functions, implemented by the Ministry of Justice in the area of advocacy.»
As Telegraf previously reported, February 16, it became known that Justice Ministry of Belarus has deprived the licenses of several members of the Minsk City Bar Association.
On the proposal of the Ministry of Justice, Bureau of the Minsk City Bar Association excluded from its structure Pavel Sapelka on March 3. The lawyer was defending the former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov and co-chair of the organizing committee of the «Belarusian Christian Democracy» Pavel Seviarynets, charged with rioting, as well as the leader of «Young Front» Dmitri Dashkevich, accused of hooliganism.
