International Day for Lawyers in Danger 2025: The Belarusian legal profession under pressure

This year, the International Day for Lawyers in Danger focused attention on the reality of lawyers in Belarus. Independent lawyers in this authoritarian regime constantly put themselves at risk to defend justice and the rule of law.

On 24 January 2025, several bar associations, associations and human rights defenders around the world joined forces to denounce Belarus’ attacks on its lawyers. These professionals, who are the guardians of defence and justice, have become direct targets of a system that seeks to silence all opposition.

The legal profession in Belarus: a tale of persecution and exile

Since the controversial elections of 2020, repression in Belarus has reached a new level, particularly targeting lawyers specialising in the defence of human rights. From arbitrary disbarments to harassment, criminal charges and even imprisonment, the regime of Alexander Lukashenko has turned the practice of the profession into an act of bravery.

Six lawyers are currently detained, some incommunicado, while 139 have been deprived of their right to practice. Some have been forced to leave the country, abandoning not only their careers but also their personal safety, to escape reprisals.

In an interview with Laurence Roques, Treasurer of the OIAD and Vice-President of the CNB’s International and European Affairs Commission, Natallia Matskevich, a Belarusian lawyer, testified: “I would say that the State takes all the measures to shorten lawyers’ abilities, to spread an atmosphere of fear and to paralyze the legal profession, because 6 lawyers are behind bars for long terms from 6 to 10 years. Dozens of lawyers were arbitrarily detained and then should leave Belarus. The law on the Bar has changed so much that the law profession has lost its independence, and the Bar Association has become a tool of repression.”

The legal community united in support of threatened lawyers

The Naples Bar Association in Italy, sponsored by the Consiglio Nazionale Forense, organised the event ‘No justice without lawyers’ at the Porta Nolana station on the Circumvesuviana railway line. Tributes were paid to Giorgio Ambrosoli, Fulvio Croce, Enzo Fragalà and Antonio Metafora, lawyers who were murdered for defending their independence and the values of the Bar.

 

According to Francesco Greco, president of the Consiglio Nazionale Forense: “This day is full of significance for lawyers who are tasked with defending rights“.

The Bar President of Naples, Carmine Foreste, paid tribute to “the example of the lawyers who lost their lives defending their independence and that of the Bar“. His words were supported by Francesco Caia, former President of the OIAD, who explained the situation of lawyers in Belarus, emphasising that “their example represents the dangerous situation for lawyers at European and international level“.

Maria Rosaria Covelli, President of the Naples Court of Appeal, emphasised the key role of lawyers in upholding the rule of law and fair trials, mentioning the emblematic figures of Ebru Timtik and Digna Ochoa, lawyers from Turkey and Mexico who died while carrying out their duties.

Several members of the OIAD[1] took part in a webinar attended by the president of the CNF’s human rights commission, Leonardo Arnau, the aim of which was to raise awareness of the importance of the role and function of lawyers in defending rights. The Turin Bar Association held a training course on the granting of credit for International Day for Lawyers in Danger, preceded by a solidarity march in support of their Belarusian colleagues and the population as a whole, during which the lawyers were invited to wear their robes.

Meanwhile, in Lille, lawyers have mobilised for endangered lawyers, including Sonia Dahmani, who was sentenced to a year and a half in prison by the Tunisian courts. Her sister Ramla and daughter Nour Dahmani were on hand to receive the lawyer’s robes offered to Ms Dahmani, an honorary member of the Lille Bar.

[1] Bologna, Milan, Padua, Palermo and Verona Bar Associations, under the patronage of the Consiglio Nazionale Forense, in collaboration with the European Bars Federation (FBE) and the OIAD.

 

A call for sustainable action

International Day for Lawyers in Danger is not just a moment for reflection: it is a reminder of our collective responsibility. Protecting lawyers means protecting fundamental rights, the rule of law and justice itself.

The re-election of Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential elections of 26 January 2025 portends a continuation, or even an intensification, of the repression in Belarus. More than ever, international mobilisation must remain strong and constant to support endangered lawyers and defend the fundamental principles of justice and the rule of law.

The International Observatory of Lawyers in Danger extends its warmest regards to its members for their commitment and their numerous initiatives in favour of threatened colleagues. Their mobilisation and unwavering support make it possible to spread the word about the courage of these professionals who, all over the world, resolutely defend the fundamental values of the profession.

[1]Bologna, Milan, Padua, Palermo and Verona Bar Associations, under the patronage of the Consiglio Nazionale Forense, in collaboration with the European Bars Federation (FBE) and the OIAD.

 

Caption :

1. Illumination of the water fountain in Geneva, Switzerland
2. Gathering in front of the Belarusian embassy in Brussels, Belgium
3. Solidarity march in support of colleagues and the people of Belarus in front of the courthouse in Turin, Italy
4. Gathering in front of the Belarusian embassy in Brussels, Belgium
5. Event ‘No justice without lawyers’ in Naples, Italy
6. Commemoration of the World Day of the Endangered Lawyer in Madrid, Spain
7. Mobilisation in support of endangered lawyers in Lille, France
8. Gathering in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Brussels, Belgium