Increased pressure on lawyers means a deterioration in the human rights situation in the country
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-06-07-unba_66695a55328e2.jpg)
Recent legislative changes to the mobilization and military registration procedure have introduced additional responsibilities for men liable for military service. In particular, they have until July 16 to update their data. However, representatives of the TCC are not waiting for this date. Already today, they are demanding to see the relevant confirmations during the checks of military registration documents. This leads to conflict situations and, consequently, human rights violations. This raises the question of the role of lawyers providing professional legal aid.
Members of the Bar Council of Ukraine are discussing the problems of advocacy under martial law during a meeting held today, June 7, in Zakarpattia region.
Opening the event, Lidiya Izovitova, the President of the UNBA, BCU recalled cases of violation of the rights and guarantees of the legal profession by the military authorities.
In particular, on the eve of the meeting in Kharkiv, a lawyer was beaten by representatives of the TCC. This incident was considered in detail at an extraordinary meeting of the Bar Council of the region. In May, in Odesa region, a defense lawyer who was performing his duties was detained during a search and forcibly taken to the TCC. In Kyiv, a laptop and a phone were seized from a lawyer during a search, contrary to the investigating judge's ruling. In its publication, the Transcarpathian TCC accused lawyers who assist citizens in obtaining one-time financial assistance and pensions of making money from the grief of the families of heroes.
Such cases of arbitrariness of the authorities have become systemic. Statistics show a threatening situation for the effective and safe professional activity of defense lawyers. And the Ukrainian National Bar Association, within the limits of its authority, responds to violations of the rights and guarantees of the practice of law and takes measures to eliminate them.
Because interference in the activities, violence against defense lawyers, illegal deprivation of liberty, seizure of personal belongings, including those containing attorney-client privilege, are all actions that not only impede the practice of law but also violate the human right to defense and legal aid. Therefore, the growing pressure on lawyers and the Bar threatens to deteriorate the human rights situation in Ukraine.
L. Izovitova reminded that the UNBA conveyed this position in its appeals to the Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov and the Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. The UNBA also prepared and sent to the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada and the relevant committees a draft law on amendments to the Criminal Code to strengthen liability for obstructing the right to defense. The UNBA's initiative to establish liability for violation of the prohibition of identification of attorneys and clients has already been registered in the Verkhovna Rada. A working group of the UNBA members was also created to process the available materials, analyze the legislation and develop an algorithm for lawyers' response to illegal actions of state authorities. Regional bar councils should also provide their assistance in the preparation of recommendations.
Popular news
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-08-07-unba_66bb193b628f4.jpg)
Advocacy
HCJ engages Valentyn Gvozdiy to develop measures to ensure judicial independence
Valentyn Gvozdiy, Vice President of the Ukrainian National Bar Association and the Bar Council of Ukraine, was appointed to the working group on the development and implementation of measures to ensure the independence of judges and the authority of justice.
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-08-01-unba_66b08c3e84cf1.jpg)
Advocacy
Use of legal remedies is not pressure – BCU
Lidiya Izovitova, the President of the UNBA, BCU appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office and the Council of Prosecutors of Ukraine regarding the inadmissibility of pressure on lawyers who use legal means of defense in the framework of providing legal aid.
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-07-17-unba_669e409a2916a.jpg)
Advocacy
The Council of Europe supports the development of UNBA
The Council of Europe Office in Ukraine will provide all possible support for the development of the Ukrainian National Bar Association and its initiatives for the benefit of Ukrainian society.
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-07-09-unba_6696a4e72c934.jpg)
Advocacy
Violation of the rights of lawyers in the TCC: UNBA initiates a meeting with the military authorities
In order to resolve the situation and interaction between the territorial centers of recruitment and social support and lawyers who perform their professional duties in the framework of protecting clients and providing them with professional legal assistance, the Ukrainian National Bar Association proposed to organize a joint meeting with representatives of the President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the Commander of the Land Forces.
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-07-08-unba_6696a3b7f2887.jpg)
Advocacy
Advocates must check electronic offices
Advocates should check the availability of personal accounts for professional development on the platform of the HSA Accreditation and Certification Center and certificates of professional development from 2019 to 2023, as well as personal electronic accounts on the UNBA website in the near future. In case of absence of the accounts, lawyers will have to register them by August 4.
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-07-08-unba_6696a271be7be.jpg)
Advocacy
Clarifies the conditions when a legal aid order is considered signed
Due to the digitalization of document management processes, the practice of government agencies and attorneys sometimes raises questions about the execution of documents in electronic form. For example, how to properly certify attachments to an electronic lawyer's request?
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-06-12-unba_66696ec58415c.jpg)
Advocacy
Regarding the NACP's Pressure on the Constitutional Court of Ukraine: Statement of the Bar Council of Ukraine
On June 11, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption published a news item on its website entitled «Should members of the Qualification and Disciplinary Commissions of the Bar Declare: Whose Side Will the CCU Take?», in which it called on the public, journalists and international partners to closely monitor the consideration by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of the complaint filed by Oksana Bukhtoyarova, a member of the Disciplinary Chamber of the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar of the Zakarpattia Region, regarding the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Law of Ukraine «On Prevention of Corruption». The CCU hearing on this case is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. on June 12, 2024.
![](/assets/uploads/news/advocacy/2024-06-08-unba_6669648160168.jpg)
Advocacy
Payment for the services of a lawyer should be made for each subject of the FLA
Numerous appeals of lawyers to the Ukrainian National Bar Association show that there is a problem of arbitrary interpretation of the rules on payment for services and reimbursement of lawyers' expenses by the centers for providing free secondary legal aid.
Publications
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_647dfc292f222-40x40.jpg)
Ihor Kolesnykov A BRIEF SUMMARY REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE ORDER ON EXTENDED CONFISCATION IN LATVIA REGARDING FINANCIAL ASSETS OF…
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_63becdabe411c-40x40.jpg)
Valentyn Gvozdiy WORKING IN A WAR ZONE
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_62694608e0300-40x40.jpg)
Lydia Izovitova Formula of perfection
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_626958f5cde7c-40x40.jpg)
Sergiy Vylkov Our judicial system is so built that courts do not trust advocates
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_61c1e10556e13-40x40.jpg)
Iryna Vasylyk Advocacy in the proclamation of Independence of Ukraine
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_605737babe0d1-40x40.jpg)
Oleksandr DULSKY When we cross the border of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court, we get into another department of the National Anti-Corruption…
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_60185db363982-40x40.jpg)
Vadym Krasnyk The UNBA will work, and all obstacles and restrictions are only temporary inconveniences
![](/assets/uploads/photos/author_5fdc9d77c1d19-40x40.jpg)
Lydia Izovitova Interview with Lydia Izovitova on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the founding of UNBA: We are the voice of t…