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Another lawyer refuses to defend Iryna Khalip

Lawyer Tamara Harayeva has refused to defend Iryna Khalip despite a signed contract, the father of the prominent journalist charged in a so-called riot case, Uladzimir Khalip, told the opposition news site charter97.org.

A reputed criminal defense lawyer, Ms. Harayeva initially gladly agreed to represent Iryna, but, after a contract had been signed and the first payment had been made, she phoned the family to say that she had changed her mind, Mr. Khalip said.

"Under regulations, a lawyer may not withdraw if a contract has been signed, but nonetheless it happened," he noted.

Iryna's original lawyer, Uladzimir Tolstsik, resigned after being threatened with the cancellation of his license, Mr. Khalip said.

“Iryna has thus been left without a lawyer,” he said. "You can imagine what pressure was put on them. This is how they try to make us hire a pro-Lukashenka lawyer."

Along with many others, the 43-year-old Khalip and her husband, presidential candidate Andrey Sannikaw, were arrested immediately after the December 19 post-election protest in Minsk, placed in the KGB detention center and charged with organizing mass riots, an offense that carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years. On January 29, Ms. Khalip was placed under house arrest. //BelaPAN