The International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and five other international bar associations condemned the persecution of lawyer Alexey Ladin. This is stated in a press release received by the editorial office of Mediazona.
The statement of international organizations is timed to coincide with the meeting of the Bar Chamber of the Tyumen Region on January 24, at which representatives of the chamber are to consider Ladin’s disciplinary case — he could be deprived of his lawyer status .
As representatives of international legal associations emphasized, Ladin has been helping Ukrainians who are being prosecuted in various criminal cases in Russia since 2015. He, among other things, helped Crimean political prisoners being prosecuted for involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir, and Ukrainian military personnel captured by Russia.
On the morning of October 13, Ladin was detained after a search was carried out at his home in the Sevastopol. Later, two reports were drawn up against the lawyer: under the article on the demonstration of prohibited symbols (Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code) and “discrediting” the army (20.3.3 of the Administrative Code). In the first administrative case, he was sentenced to 15 days of arrest, and in the second — a fine of 45 thousand rubles. The reason for both protocols were posts on Facebook.
One of the posts included a photo of a drawing made by Ladin's client. It depicted fragments of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar coats of arms with the slogan “We are not terrorists or extremists,” including the symbol “tarak-tamga” (the emblem on the flag of the Crimean Tatars). Later, the court considered the emblem to be a symbol of the paramilitary formation “Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion “Noman Celebidzhikhan”,” banned in Russia.
On October 18, it became known that the Ministry of Justice applied to the Tyumen Region Bar Association, where Ladin is registered, with a request to deprive him of his license to practice law. The reason for this, in particular, was an administrative case — the department believes that Ladin violated the Code of Ethics of the Russian Bar Association.
According to international legal associations that signed an appeal in defense of the lawyer, Ladin was brought to justice unlawfully — “for exercising his right to freedom of expression, which is protected by international and Russian legislation.”
In this regard, the signatories of the appeal demand to stop the disciplinary proceedings against Ladin, “since he became the target of persecution as a result of his peaceful and legal activities,” and in general to stop the persecution of Russian lawyers. In addition, international organizations are asking to ensure safe work for lawyers in Russia and annexed Crimea. The authors of the statement addressed these demands to the Tyumen Region Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association of Russia and the Ministry of Justice.
“Lawyers play a vital role in maintaining the rule of law and protecting human rights guaranteed by international law, including the right to effective means legal protection and fair trial guarantees; and the right to freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Their work is necessary to strengthen public confidence in the administration of justice,” the appeal says.