Gennady Vorontsov

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Gennady Vorontsov
Генадзь Варанцоў
Official portrait
Minister of Justice of Belarus
In office
23 January 1997 – 21 September 2001
PresidentAlexander Lukashenko
Preceded byValentin Sukalo
Succeeded byViktor Golovanov
Personal details
Born1948 (1948)
Vileyka, Minsk region, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Died18 November 2023(2023-11-18) (aged 74–75)
Alma materBelarusian State University

Gennady Nikolayevich Vorontsov (Russian: Геннадий Николаевич Воронцов; 1948 – 18 November 2023) was a Belarusian lawyer who served as Minister of Justice of Belarus from 1997 to 2001.

Biography

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Gennady Vorontsov was born in Vileyka, Minsk region, in 1948. He started his professional career as a milling machine operator at a factory in Molodechno in 1964. Vorontsov's work was interrupted for three years while he served in the Red Army. Upon his return, he rose through the ranks and reached the position of engineer.[1]

Later, Vorontsov pursued higher education and obtained a law degree from Belarusian State University in 1976. Upon graduation, he was elected as a judge in Molodechno, becoming its chairman in 1980. In February 1991, he was appointed to the position of a judge in the Supreme Court of Belarus. In 1995, Vorontsov left the judicial system and became the head of the judicial department of the Minsk Regional Executive Body.[2]

President Alexander Lukashenko appointed Vorontsov as Minister of Justice in 1997.[3] During his tenure, he oversaw the enforcement of the new criminal code,[4] criticized those parties that urged a boycott of the 2000 Belarusian parliamentary election,[5] and wrote letters to newspapers urging them to censor mentions of opposition groups, such as Charter 97.[6] Vorontsov responded to various criticisms directed at the Belarusian government, such as those of the new protest law,[7] the forced re-registration of NGOs,[8] and the inquiry of the Inter-Parliamentary Union mission on the issue of mistreatment of Belarusian MPs.[9] He also interacted with the ILO on the topic of the suppression of Belarusian trade unions, attempting to convince them that the issue was nonexistent.[10] Vorontsov was dismissed in September 2001, shortly after the Belarusian presidential elections.[11]

Later, he worked as a deputy head of the Belarusian Lawyers Union from 2002 to 2013. Vorontsov died on 18 November 2023.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Воронцов Геннадий Николаевич" [Gennady Nikolayevich Vorontsov]. Знаменитые люди Гомельщины. 11 July 2018. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022.
  2. ^ Balashenko, S. A., ed. (2007). Белорусская юридическая энциклопедия : в 4 т. Т. 1 ["Belarusian Legal Encyclopedia: in 4 volumes. Vol. 1] (PDF) (in Russian). p. 248. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2020.
  3. ^ "О назначении Г.Н.Воронцова Министром юстиции Республики Беларусь" [On the Appointment of G.N. Vorontsov as Minister of Justice of the Republic of Belarus] (in Russian). President of Belarus. 23 January 1997. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Дела судейские" [Judicial affairs]. Belarus Today (in Russian). 19 April 2001. Archived from the original on 13 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Навіны 08 жніўня 2000 г." [News 8 August 2000]. RFE/RL (in Belarusian). 8 August 2000. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Навіны 09 лістапада 2000 г." [News 9 November 2000]. RFE/RL (in Belarusian). Archived from the original on 28 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Навіны 04 ліпеня 2000 г" [News 4 July 2000]. RFE/RL. 4 July 2000. Archived from the original on 7 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Навіны 11 жніўня 1999 г." [News 11 August 1999]. RFE/RL. 11 August 1999. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Навіны 22 лістапада 1999 г." [News 22 November 1999]. RFE/RL (in Belarusian). 22 November 1999. Archived from the original on 5 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Зарэгістраваць суполку свабоднага прафсаюза на МАЗе – ня можна" [To register a cell of a free trade union at MAZ – it is impossible]. RFE/RL (in Belarusian). 26 March 2001. Archived from the original on 13 August 2025.
  11. ^ "О сложении полномочий Правительством Республики Беларусь" [On the resignation of the powers of the Government of the Republic of Belarus] (in Russian). President of Belarus. 21 September 2001. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Ушел из жизни выдающийся человек" [A prominent person has passed away] (in Russian). Belarusian Lawyers Union. 21 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024.