{"id":174225,"date":"2026-02-04T13:45:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T10:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/174225\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"belarus-facing-systematic-erosion-of-rule-of-law-human-rights-lawyer-tells-us-congress","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/174225\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus facing systematic erosion of rule of law, human rights lawyer tells US Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1582\" height=\"1055\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jasmine-cameron-commision-lantos-st-k-POZ.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jasmine-cameron-commision-lantos-st-k-POZ.jpg 1582w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jasmine-cameron-commision-lantos-st-k-POZ-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jasmine-cameron-commision-lantos-st-k-POZ-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jasmine-cameron-commision-lantos-st-k-POZ-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jasmine-cameron-commision-lantos-st-k-POZ-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jasmine-cameron-commision-lantos-st-k-POZ-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1582px) 100vw, 1582px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(Video by Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission \/ Still by Pozirk)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>February 4, <em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Belarus has been subjecting lawyers to politically-motivated persecution since the controversial 2020 presidential election, Jasmine D. Cameron, an international human rights lawyer, told a US Congress hearing on human rights in Belarus yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Authorities often equate lawyers with their clients and want to deprive the defendants in politically-motivated cases of any legal means of defense, she noted, listing imprisoned lawyers Vital Brahiniec, Alaksandar Danilevi\u010d, Anastasija \u0141azarenk, Julia Jurhilevi\u010d, Alaksiej Barodka and Siarhiej Ch\u0142ysto\u016d as victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cameron pointed out that recent legislative changes, which expanded the Belarusian justice ministry\u2019s powers, allow the authorities to fully control the bar associations. The ministry turned into a political tool for overseeing the legal profession, as it can license all legal practice in the country, she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Belarusian attorneys can no longer open private offices or practice law independently, the lawyer added, noting that all legal work is now confined to ministry-controlled offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many lawyers were forced to leave Belarus, while those who stayed avoided \u201csensitive\u201d cases out of fear, and the total number of lawyers in the country dropped by more than 25 percent to just 1,600, Cameron said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lawyer urged the US to support Belarusian lawyers forced to work in exile and to extend funding to civil society organizations, including Pravo na Zashchitu (Right to Defense) and Human Constanta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Washington should publicly insist on the release of all imprisoned Belarusian lawyers and, where possible, impose individual sanctions on those responsible for their persecution, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/nevolia_unsplash_hasan_almasi_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/nevolia_unsplash_hasan_almasi_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/nevolia_unsplash_hasan_almasi_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/nevolia_unsplash_hasan_almasi_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/nevolia_unsplash_hasan_almasi_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/nevolia_unsplash_hasan_almasi_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> \u041f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">\u041f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Freedom House representative calls on US to tackle root causes of reprisals in Belarus<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">February 4, Pozirk. Securing the release of jailed Belarusian dissidents is not enough to end reprisals in the country, Vytis Jurkonis, head of Freedom House in Lithuania, told a US Congress hearing on human rights in Belarus yesterday. If the &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/174216\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read the article<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 4, Pozirk. Belarus has been subjecting lawyers to politically-motivated persecution since the controversial 2020 presidential election, Jasmine D. Cameron, an international human rights lawyer, told a US Congress hearing on human rights in Belarus yesterday. Authorities often equate lawyers with their clients and want to deprive the defendants in politically-motivated cases of any legal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":174195,"template":"","rubric":[14,13],"class_list":["post-174225","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics","rubric-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Belarus facing systematic erosion of rule of law, human rights lawyer tells US Congress | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"February 4, Pozirk. 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