Liliya Vlasova
Лілія Уласава
Лилия Власова
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer Edit this on Wikidata
Known forMember of the presidium of the Coordination Council of Belarus

Liliya Vladimirovna Vlasova (born 26 May[citation needed] 1953;[1] Russian: Лилия Владимировна Власова; Belarusian: Лілія Уладзіміраўна Уласава) is a Belarusian lawyer well-known as a legal mediator.[2][3][4] In August 2020, she became a member of the presidium of the Coordination Council that aims to coordinate a transition of political power in Belarus in the context of the 2020 Belarusian protests and the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.[5] Vlasova was detained by Belarusian authorities on 31 August.[6] She was shifted to house arrest on 16 October 2020 and fully released, with all charges dropped, on 24 October 2020.[7]

Education

Vlasova obtained an undergraduate legal degree at Belarusian State University and a PhD in law at St Petersburg University.[3]

Legal career

In 1990, Vlasova and Natalia Kozyrenko created one of the first private law firms in Belarus following the fall of the Soviet Union. The firm was first named Law Laboratory, and in 1996 was renamed as Vlasova & Partners. In 2007, Vlasova's firm was merged with Mikhel & Partners and in 2013 took the name VMP Vlasova Mikhel & Partners.[8]

In 2011, Vlasova started her firm's bureau of legal mediation, for which she became well-known in Belarus.[2] She created the Centre of mediation and negotiation in Minsk in 2012.[3][4] The St Petersburg Mediators League awarded Vlasova the status of "best mediator of the year" in 2012.[3] Vlasova is a mediation expert of the International Development Law Organization and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.[2]

2020 election protests

During the phase of the 2020 Belarusian protests that followed the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, Vlasova joined the presidium of the Belarusian Coordination Council on 19 August.[9] This body aims for a transition of power from president Alexander Lukashenko, whose claim to have won the election is disputed.[5]

The following day, Prosecutor-General Alexander Konyuk initiated criminal proceedings against the members of the Coordination Council under Article 361 of the Belarusian Criminal Code, on the grounds of attempting to seize state power and harming national security.[10][11]

On 31 August, Vlasova was detained by OMON.[12] She was visible in a video of a meeting between Lukashenko and his imprisoned opponents that was broadcast on 10 October 2020.[6] She was released from the pre-trial detention centre on 16 October 2020,[13] but put under house arrest. On 24 October all charges were dropped and her case was closed.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Weitere Festnahmen bei Belarus-Protesten". Frankfurter Allgemeine (in German). 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Liliya Vlasova". Mediation Eurasia. 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Liliya Vlasova". Public Private Dialogue Network. 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Do Rady Koordynacyjnej białoruskiej opozycji weszło już 600 osób" [600 people have already been included in the Belarusian opposition Coordination Council]. TVN (in Polish). Polish Press Agency. 24 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Президиум" [Presidium]. Coordination Council (Belarus) (in Russian). 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b Belarus protests: Lukashenko holds meeting with opponents in jail, BBC news, 10 October 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Liliya Ulasava no longer on house arrest". Belsat. 24 October 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  8. ^ "VMP Vlasova Mikhel & Partners > Firm Profile". The Legal 500. 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. ^ "В Беларуси Координационный совет оппозиции сформировал президиум". Deutsche Welle. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020.
  10. ^ "МАЯ КРАІНА БЕЛАРУСЬ". Telegram.
  11. ^ "Belarus Opens Criminal Probe Against Oppositions Coordination Council- Prosecutor General". UrduPoint.
  12. ^ "КГК задержал члена президиума Координационного совета Лилию Власову". TUT.BY. 31 August 2020.
  13. ^ Venkina, Ekaterina (19 October 2020). "Лилия Власова вышла из СИЗО КГБ Беларуси" [Lilija Vlasova released from the KGBO of Belarus]. Deutsche Welle (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
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