In Uzbekistan, lawyer was punished for criticizing a bill

On March 27, by the decision of the board of the Chamber of Lawyers of the country, the Department for the protection of professional rights was abolished. Before the liquidation, this structural unit of the public organization was headed by Allan Pashkovsky, the first critic of the law leveling the concept of the lawyer’s secret bill.

Thus, the leadership of the Chamber got rid of the lawyer, whose analysis of the legislative initiative of the senators plunged the country’s lawyers’ community into a stupor. On March 24, Uzbek parliamentarians unanimously voted to amend the Law “On guarantees of advocacy and the social protection of advocates”. Now, according to the approval of the prosecutor, control over negotiations, the transmission of messages and data carried out by the lawyer from telecommunication devices is provided.

The next day, Allan Pashkovsky spread a message on a social network about an encroachment on the independence and inviolability of lawyers. This step was the beginning of the persecution of a well-known lawyer in the country.

According to an ACCA expert, “The authorities could not openly initiate reprisals against Pashkovsky and simply instructed the chairman of the Chamber, Alim Ernazarov, to solve the problem with a lawyer who has great authority over foreign colleagues.”

Colleagues verbally supported Pashkovsky, but besides the manifestation of non-public solidarity, they didn’t dare to take more effective measures in his support and protection of their clients.

“The country is now in a legal collapse. The judicial system operates partially, being satisfied with sentences to citizens for violation of quarantine and lack of respiratory masks. Using the state of emergency, the authorities allow partially any social activity,” said the ACCA expert.