Rita Tamašunienė: We must defend freedom every day – both in Ukraine and by protecting the rule of law in Europe
Minister of Justice Rita Tamašunienė is participating in the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels, where considerable attention is paid to the ensuring of support for Ukraine, the accountability of russia for the aggression and to the strengthening of the protection of the profession of lawyer in Europe.
The Minister emphasised that the fifth year of the large-scale russian aggression against Ukraine is a reminder that freedom is not a given, it must be defended every day. According to the Minister, the unity of the European Union today is the cornerstone for achieving long-term peace in Ukraine.
“We cannot allow those responsible for war crimes, crimes of aggression and human rights violations to stay unpunished. The atrocities of war in Ukraine continue, therefore, we cannot stop seeking a strong legal response. We must speed up the process of establishing the Special Tribunal and adopt the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal in the Council of Europe as soon as possible. Lithuania has already decided to join it and urges other states to follow suit,” said the Minister.
She also stressed that russia must bear all legal consequences arising from its illegal actions, including the obligation to compensate for the damage caused. Therefore, the states are called upon not to delay ratifying the Convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, which is a necessary step to ensure an effective mechanism of compensating victims for damage.
The meeting also focused on the situation of lawyers and on the protection of their profession. The challenges indicated by organisations representing lawyers concerning gross and systematic interference in the activities of lawyers are a cause for concern. The safety of lawyers and the independence of this profession is a precondition necessary for ensuring the rule of law and access to justice.
“Lawyers are defenders of human rights and, at the same time, of democracy. In undemocratic regimes in particular, they face persecution, pressure and restrictions on their professional activities. Seeing the increasing persecution of lawyers in the neighbouring undemocratic countries, Lithuania established a legal basis in 2024 for lawyers from third countries who have lost their professional status due to persecution to provide legal services in Lithuania,” noted the Minister.
Lithuania was also among the first states to sign the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer and has already begun preparations to ratify this Convention. It is expected that the new Convention will become a solid foundation for strengthening the protection of the profession of lawyer and for ensuring the right to practice this profession independently, without discrimination or interference.
According to the Minister, the accession of the Member States of the European Union to this Convention would mean a commitment to adhere to uniform standards and would strengthen mutual trust at the EU level.