Nalchik/AgencyCaucasus – Efforts, including death threats, have eventually come to naught after they were intended to strip Larisa Dorogova of her profession as a lawyer because she wanted to defend a group of young people who had been involved in the 13 October 2005 incidents.
The Bar of Kabardino-Balkaria has called off its investigation that it started at the request of the chief prosecutor. The board of discipline of the Bar concluded at its meeting on June 21 that the investigation would be discontinued. Valeri Hatijukov, Chairman of the Human Rights Centre of Kabardino-Balkaria, hailed the bar’s ruling as a victory of the civil society. “This is a real step towards the foundation of the civil society. It is a constitutional right to ask a lawyer for help. Nobody can stop a lawyer from fulfilling its professional duties. I am happy that efforts to prevent Dorogova from doing her job have come to naught.”
Hatu Jigunov, father of the Bar, ordered on April 16 legal proceedings to be launched to end Dorogova’s career as a lawyer after the Bar received a complaint from the chief prosecutor of Kabardino-Balkaria who considered it to be a breach of the principles of the lawyer profession when Dorogova met without a permit with Zaur Tohov in a prison. KU/ÖZ/FT
