UABA STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF RUSSIAN ATTORNEY MARK FEYGIN

     The Ukrainian American Bar Association (UABA) is a national bar association created in 1977 whose members are U.S. judges, attorneys and law students of Ukrainia descent and those American attorneys who share the UABA’s goals and dedication to the rule of law.  Our Association has a very deep interest in upholding the ability of our colleagues in other countries to represent clients without being intimidated, harassed or penalized by their
government for exercising their profession obligations on behalf of their clients.

     It has come to the attention of the UABA that Mark Feygin, a Russian lawyer, is apparently being “criminally”
investigated for allegedly posting statements on his Twitter account which purportedly “incite social hatred
and enmity”.  In reality, his Twitter comments were merely statements in support of his client, Ukrainian pilot
Nadiya Savchenko, who is being unlawfully detained by Russian authorities.
     As an attorney, Feygin works mostly on human rights
matters and was lead counsel in several landmark legal
cases in Russia such as; the Pussy Riot case (Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova), the Greenpeace case (Arctic Sunrise,
Dmitry Litvinov); the Bolotnaya case (Leonid Razvoszhaev
and Sergei Udaltsov); the case of Ilya Goryachev who was
extradited from Serbia; the case of Arkady Babchenko,
political journalist; Geydar Dzhemal, Islamic philosopher,
and many others. Attorney Feygin also represents Mustafa
Jemilev, the leader of Crimean Tatars, and Mukhtar
Ablyazov, a Kazakh opposition politician.
     Ostensibly, the most recent “criminal” investigation of
Attorney Feygin has as its motive not only to muzzle his
vociferous defense of his clients, but more importantly,
to create a chilling effect and to send an ominous signal
to all Russian lawyers discouraging them from taking up
cases that criticize and challenge the Russian
government’s policies and actions that violate
internationally accepted human rights norms.
     As such, the Russian government’s current “criminal”
investigation of Mark Feygin constitutes a gross violation
of the basic principles of justice and the rule of law and
the right of an attorney to properly defend his client.

 For further information, please contact
Myroslaw Smorodsky, Esq.
Communications Director of the Ukrainian American Bar
Association (UABA)
Tel: 201-507-4500; Email; myroslaw@smorodsky.com; Website;
www.smorodsky.com