The Russian-controlled Bar Association of Crimea has revoked the licenses of Lilia Hemedzhi and Rustem Kiamilev, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea reports.
They argue that lawyers can no longer participate in criminal cases, defend their clients, and also represent them during the pre-trial investigation.
The Chamber of Lawyers did this through a counterclaim, when Mrs Hemedzhi and Mr Kiamilev tried to become members of this particular chamber, because they deal with cases of political prisoners in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The lawyers tried to challenge the refusal to admit them to the chamber in court, but the Chamber of Lawyers filed a lawsuit to revoke their licenses”,- the Mission reports.
For its part, the CTRC informs that earlier lawyers Nazim Sheimambetov, Lilia Hemedzhi and Rustem Kiamilev were deprived of their professional status by the Chamber of Lawyers of the Chechen Republic Nizam.
We also remind you that in May 2022, employees of the Center for Combating Extremism detained lawyer Edem Semedliaiev in occupied Simferopol for posting on a social network. After the completion of the trial of Edem Semedliaiev, his lawyer Nazim Sheikhmambetov was detained. After that, lawyers Ayder Azamatov and Emine Avamileva, who arrived at the court to defend their colleague, lawyer Nazim Sheikhmambetov, were detained.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center strongly condemns these illegal actions of the Russian security forces, which are a manifestation of the discriminatory policy of the occupation authorities in relation to the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, since all lawyers are representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, and also actively protect the rights of political prisoners of Crimea, mainly Crimean Tatars.
Harassment, pressure and obstruction of the activities of an independent lawyer is a violation of both Ukrainian and Russian legislation on advocacy, as well as the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, adopted by the UN in 1990. These principles oblige governments not to prosecute and subject lawyers to judicial, administrative, economic or other sanctions for any act performed in accordance with recognized professional duties, norms and ethics, as well as the threat of such prosecution and sanctions.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center demands the immediate renewal of the rights to carry out professional activities and refrain from further persecution of independent lawyers carrying out professional activities in the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as lawyers acting in the interests of political prisoners of Crimea in Russia.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center demands from the President of Ukraine, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to impose sanctions against persons involved in the illegal persecution of lawyers Lilia Hemedzhi and Rustem Kiamilev.