In May, independent media reported the detention of at least three attorneys from the Gomel Regional Bar Association. On 23 May, KGB officers also conducted mass inspections of attorneys at their workplaces. At that time, no further information was available regarding the names of those detained or the attorneys who faced repercussions as a result of the inspections.
Our project continuously monitors developments within the legal profession, and this situation could not go unnoticed. Research we conducted revealed that between 25 May and 16 June 2025, six names disappeared from the official lists of the Gomel Regional Bar Association:
Of particular note is the last person on the list: an attorney licensed in April 2024 who had maintained an Instagram account (now deleted or made private) with an explicitly patriotic tone, including participation in propaganda events related to the presidential “elections.”
Across the entire country, eight attorneys left the profession during this period – six of them in Gomel and only two in other regions. The main impact is clearly concentrated in the Sovetsky District Legal Advice Office in Gomel, where even the head was affected. It remains unclear who exactly became a direct victim of the KGB raid, whether any of the six listed were among those detained, or whether some simply decided to leave the profession after such “innovations” in the organisation of legal aid. What is clear, however, is that active and professional attorneys are leaving the bar.
At the same time, the overall number of attorneys in Belarus continues to grow slowly – currently totalling 1,606. For more detail on who has been entering the profession, see our report Who Became an Attorney in 2024. For instance, in 2025 the profession admitted a former prosecutor who had repeatedly taken part in political trials.
These developments illustrate how the authorities are enforcing their requirements across the country under the guise of “prevention.” On 28 May, “staffing and organisational issues” were raised at the Grodno Regional Bar Association. On 3 June, the Minsk Regional Bar Association held a thematic seminar for attorneys licensed within the past five years. Similar events were held at the Brest Regional Bar Association on 12 and 19 June. During these meetings, bar leadership has been “explaining” the Rules of Ethics and Internal Regulations, and emphasising the “responsibility of attorneys for the proper preparation and accuracy of information on state-funded legal aid work carried out at the request of criminal justice authorities”.
Our project continuously monitors developments within the legal profession, and this situation could not go unnoticed. Research we conducted revealed that between 25 May and 16 June 2025, six names disappeared from the official lists of the Gomel Regional Bar Association:
- Artur Plyago (licence issued in 2004) – Sovetsky District Legal Advice Office, Gomel;
- Anna Zhuravleva (1999) – Sovetsky District Legal Advice Office, Gomel;
- Vasiliy Kovalev (2000) – Rogachev District Legal Advice Office;
- Viktor Lagun (2002) – Head of the Sovetsky District Legal Advice Office, Gomel;
- Elena Kolesnik (2023 [!!!]) – Buda-Koshelevo District Legal Advice Office;
- Karina Gospodaryova (2024 [!!!]) – Rechitsa District Legal Advice Office.
Of particular note is the last person on the list: an attorney licensed in April 2024 who had maintained an Instagram account (now deleted or made private) with an explicitly patriotic tone, including participation in propaganda events related to the presidential “elections.”
Across the entire country, eight attorneys left the profession during this period – six of them in Gomel and only two in other regions. The main impact is clearly concentrated in the Sovetsky District Legal Advice Office in Gomel, where even the head was affected. It remains unclear who exactly became a direct victim of the KGB raid, whether any of the six listed were among those detained, or whether some simply decided to leave the profession after such “innovations” in the organisation of legal aid. What is clear, however, is that active and professional attorneys are leaving the bar.
At the same time, the overall number of attorneys in Belarus continues to grow slowly – currently totalling 1,606. For more detail on who has been entering the profession, see our report Who Became an Attorney in 2024. For instance, in 2025 the profession admitted a former prosecutor who had repeatedly taken part in political trials.
These developments illustrate how the authorities are enforcing their requirements across the country under the guise of “prevention.” On 28 May, “staffing and organisational issues” were raised at the Grodno Regional Bar Association. On 3 June, the Minsk Regional Bar Association held a thematic seminar for attorneys licensed within the past five years. Similar events were held at the Brest Regional Bar Association on 12 and 19 June. During these meetings, bar leadership has been “explaining” the Rules of Ethics and Internal Regulations, and emphasising the “responsibility of attorneys for the proper preparation and accuracy of information on state-funded legal aid work carried out at the request of criminal justice authorities”.
