A Kharkiv female lawyer received a disability after a visit to the TCC and appealed to the ECHR
Kyiv • UNN
The lawyer arrived at the TCC in Kharkiv to provide legal assistance, but sustained severe injuries and was assigned disability group III. The perpetrator has not been identified, and the investigation continues after court intervention.
A Kharkiv lawyer became disabled after a visit to the TCC. She is now fighting for justice and has appealed to the ECHR, reports UNN citing the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.
Details
The incident occurred on March 15, 2025. The lawyer arrived at the Kyiv District TCC and SP in Kharkiv to provide free legal assistance to a person who had been detained.
However, she was not allowed to see the client, and she herself sustained severe injuries and ended up in the hospital. She then faced surgery, long-term treatment, and rehabilitation. Later, she was assigned disability group III.
"This is simply unthinkable: how did a lawyer who came to perform his professional duty end up in a hospital bed? If a person pays for the right to be a lawyer with their own health, then this is no longer a question of a single incident. This is an alarming signal for the entire justice system,"
Later, the victim filed a criminal complaint with law enforcement agencies. However, the person who caused her bodily harm has not yet been identified.
"TCC employees were not interrogated. Video recordings from surveillance cameras were not provided. Part of the necessary investigative actions had to be carried out only after court intervention. Due to possible improper investigation, the SBI has already opened a separate criminal proceeding regarding possible official negligence of police officers,"
As a result, the lawyer was forced to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. As the ombudsman noted, this should be a serious signal not only for international institutions but also for Ukrainian state bodies.
Lubinets also noted that this case is not isolated.
"According to the Committee for the Protection of Lawyers' Rights under the Bar Council of Kharkiv Region, 17 cases of physical force against lawyers were recorded during 2025–2026. In a number of cases, psychological pressure and threats of mobilization were also reported,"
Reminder
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need to stop cases of forced detention of people, which are called "busification."