Ministers express concern at persecution of lawyers in Belarus
Tuesday, 23 August 2011Secretary of State Kenneth Clarke is one of 11 Justice Ministers from across Europe who has signed an open letter expressing serious concern at ongoing reports of harassment and persecution of lawyers in Belarus.
The signatories have called on the Belarusian Minster of Justice to stop the extraordinary qualification exams for already qualified lawyers and to reinstate the licences of those lawyers already disbarred. More broadly, the signatories have urged the Belarusian government to allow lawyers to perform their professional functions without fear of retaliation.
The letter is signed by the Justice Ministers of the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.
Letter from the Justice Ministers