Rights group says lawyer spent three months in jail

April 26, BPN. The Viasna Human Rights Center reports that lawyer Alaksiej Barodka, of the Minsk Regional Bar Association, is held in detention in the Belarusian capital.

Barodka was arrested in late January for unknown reasons, Viasna said.

On April 21, a qualification commission ruled that he can lose his license to practice law. It cited misconduct incompatible with the legal profession.

In the past, Barodka was often quoted by the state media and shown on Belarusian television.

Pressure on the legal profession in Belarus mounted after the 2020 election campaign. Lawyers virtually lost their independence: since 2021, they can only work in legal consultancies whose heads are appointed by the justice ministry’s approval. Alaksandr Łukašenka said that the lawyers should be “under control.”