Advocacy is an institutional guarantee of human rights, not a target for attacks - V. Gvozdiy

Attempts to discredit the bar through manipulation, distortion of facts and deliberately unfounded accusations, especially in times of war, are direct information support for those interested in destabilizing the legal system of Ukraine.

This was emphasized by Valentyn Gvozdiy, the Vice President of the UNBA, BCU in his article «Whose Face in the Mirror» for Ukrainian Pravda. The material was a response to the public accusations of the DEJURE Foundation against the UNBA leadership regarding the persecution of critics, support for repressive laws during the Revolution of Dignity, and inaction against collaborating lawyers.

«By presenting another set of claims against the Ukrainian National Bar Association, the authors demonstrate an approach that is already familiar from their other publications on UP: selective interpretation of events and ignoring the context, which inevitably leads to a distortion of reality, - V. Gvozdiy notes. - The purpose of such actions, unfortunately, is not so much to promote reforms as to discredit the institution of bar self-government as such».

The Vice President of the UNBA, BCU analyzes each of the charges based on logic and facts. In particular, V. Gvozdiy noted that the UNBA's main priority has always been to protect the ability of lawyers to fulfill their professional duties and provide legal assistance to those who needed it, regardless of the political context. The further development of bar self-government institutions and their active position in the protection of human rights, including after 2014, demonstrate a true commitment to democratic values much more convincingly than accusations taken out of context.

«The state of the legal system directly depends on the existence of a strong, independent and self-governing bar. The Bar is an institutional guarantee of human rights, not a convenient target for public attacks. Attempts to discredit it through manipulation, distortion of facts and deliberately unfounded accusations, especially in times of war, are direct information support for those interested in destabilizing the legal system of Ukraine», - V. Gvozdiy writes.

He is convinced that the right to public opinion does not exempt from the obligation to act in good faith, impartially and professionally. The blatant construction of the image of an «internal enemy» out of the bar has nothing to do with reforms, human rights activities, or the development of a democratic state based on the rule of law.

The full article can be found here.