On December 28, the licenses issued

to Andrey Komisarov, Andrey Nevyadouski, and Yehor Popkovski were suspended

"in connection with the application of disciplinary sanctions to lawyers in the form of exclusion from the territorial bar associations for committing offenses incompatible with the title of lawyer."

Mariya Davydchyk, Siarhei Kosmach, Galina Mamonka, Viktar Matskevich, Uladzimer Pylchanka

and

Uladzimer Yahadzinski have been

deprived of their licenses "due to the impossibility of lawyers to fulfill their professional duties due to insufficient qualifications."

Pilchenko was the lawyer of political prisoners

Maria Kalesnikova, Eduard Babaryka, Iryna Slavnikova, Kateryna Bakhlovava, Levon Khalotran

and others.

Matskevich defended political prisoners

Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Igor Alinevich, Akihir Gajeuski-Khanada, Yevhen Yushkevich, Viktar Babarika, Ales Bialiatski

.

On January 11, 2023, the Ministry of Justice will terminate the license issued to

Alexander Chirva

, "in connection with the detected gross violation of the licensing legislation by the licensee."

Since the beginning of 2021, the Ministry of Justice has revoked the licenses of at least 60 lawyers.

About 100 law firms were liquidated, and about 400 lawyers who practiced individually were terminated.

Systematic pressure on the bar began after the 2020 presidential elections.

Legally, it actually lost its independent status from the state: from 2021, lawyers can work only in legal consultations, the heads of which are appointed in agreement with the Ministry of Justice.