Liliya Vladimirovna Vlasova (born 26 May 1953; russian: Лилия Владимировна Власова; be, Лілія Уладзіміраўна Уласава) is a

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

lawyer well-known as a legal mediator. 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 Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August. Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in offi ...

. Vlasova was detained by Belarusian authorities on 31 August. She was shifted to house arrest on 16 October 2020 and fully released, with all charges dropped, on 24 October 2020.

Education

Vlasova obtained an undergraduate legal degree at

Belarusian State University Belarusian State University (BSU) ( be, links=no, Белару́скі дзяржа́ўны ўніверсітэ́т, ; russian: links=no, Белору́сский госуда́рственный университе́т) is a university in Mins ...

and a PhD in law at St Petersburg University.

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''. In 2011, Vlasova started her firm's bureau of legal

mediation Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...

, for which she became well-known in Belarus. She created the Centre of mediation and negotiation in Minsk in 2012. The St Petersburg Mediators League awarded Vlasova the status of "best mediator of the year" in 2012. Vlasova is a mediation expert of the International Development Law Organization and the

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially fo ...

2020 election protests

During the phase of the 2020 Belarusian protests that followed the

, Vlasova joined the presidium of the Belarusian Coordination Council on 19 August. This body aims for a transition of power from president

Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian language, Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian language, Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лука� ...

, whose claim to have won the election is disputed. 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. On 31 August, Vlasova was detained by

OMON OMON (russian: ОМОН – Отряд Мобильный Особого Назначения , translit = Otryad Mobil'nyy Osobogo Naznacheniya , translation = Special Purpose Mobile Unit, , previously ru , Отряд Милиции Осо� ...

. She was visible in a video of a meeting between Lukashenko and his imprisoned opponents that was broadcast on 10 October 2020.''Belarus protests: Lukashenko holds meeting with opponents in jail'', BBC news, 10 October 2020
She was released from the pre-trial detention centre on 16 October 2020, but put under house arrest. On 24 October all charges were dropped and her case was closed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vlasova, Liliya 1950s births Living people Belarusian dissidents Political prisoners in Belarus Belarusian lawyers Belarusian democracy activists