Belarus: Human rights lawyers’ association declared “extremist” amid intensifying crackdown
Belarusian authorities have designated the Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers (BAHRL) as an “extremist formation,” imposing severe legal sanctions and intensifying pressure on the legal profession.
On 18 August 2025, the State Security Committee (KGB) issued a decision[1] labelling the BAHRL as extremist, effective 21 August 2025. Shortly after, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added the association and six individuals — including lawyer Dmitri Laevski, who has never been associated with BAHRL and still remains in Belarus — to the official list of “extremist entities and individuals.” Under Belarusian law, participation in an “extremist formation” carries sentences of up to ten years in prison.
Since the 2020 presidential elections, lawyers defending politically sensitive cases or denouncing abuses have faced arbitrary disbarment, administrative sanctions, detentions, and imprisonment[2]. This was highlighted in the International Day of Endangered Lawyer 2025, focused in the worrying situation of lawyers in Belarus[3].
BAHRL was founded by exiled Belarusian lawyers who were arbitrarily disbarred for their professional activities. The designation aims to silence independent legal voices and prevent documentation of human rights abuses.
The Observatory condemns the Belarusian authorities’ decision to designate BAHRL as an “extremist formation,” in clear violation of Belarus’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Articles 14, 19, and 22) and the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which guarantee the independence of lawyers and their right to carry out their professional duties free from interference and intimidation.
The Observatory joins the call by Lawyers for Lawyers, IBAHRI and the Law Society of England and Wales[4] and urges Belarusian authorities to:
- Immediately revoke the designation of the BAHRL as an “extremist formation”;
- Cease the misuse of anti-extremism legislation against lawyers and as a form of pressure and repression against CSOs and dissenting voices, in general;
- Ensure that no lawyer is prosecuted or otherwise punished for performing their professional duties or for their legitimate exercise of freedom of expression, association, or assembly;
- Disabuse of any notion of Dmitri Laevski’s affiliation with BAHRL and ensure he is not subjected to harassment, arrest, or other reprisals;
- Uphold Belarus’ obligations under international human rights law and create an enabling environment for lawyers to carry out their work without fear of reprisals.
[1] Decision No. 3/3-1962
[2] Kruope, A. (2025, August 29). Belarus intensifies crackdown on human rights lawyers. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/29/belarus-intensifies-crackdown-on-human-rights-lawyers
[3] See OIAD’s campaign for the International Day of Endangered Lawyer 2025 focused on Belarus: https://protect-lawyers.org/en/2025-belarus/
[4] Lawyers for Lawyers. (2025, 10 September). Concerns about the designation of lawyers association as an “extremist formation”. https://www.lawyersforlawyers.org/concerns-about-the-designation-of-lawyers-association-as-an-extremist-formation/
