- The Guipúzcoa Bar Association has decided to deprive lawyer Miguel Alonso Belza of all his functions, according to a statement. The trial against one of the most prestigious lawyers in Gipuzkoa is in the pre-trial phase, accused of beating his partner.
Miguel Alonso Belza, a member of the Women’s Rape Office of the Gipuzkoa Bar Association, is being investigated for allegedly beating his partner. The lawyer is known, among other things, for having acted in the indictment in the case of Nagore Laffage, who was killed in the Sanfermines in 2008. She has participated as a lawyer against gender-based violence in different media, such as the EITB conference and several sessions.
After the publication of the news and the sound of El Confidencial, the Gipuzkoa Bar Association publishes a note, on behalf of the Governing Board, signed by Dean Lurdes Zabalegi González.
The Bar Association says that when they heard about this trial procedure, the Dean convened an emergency Government Assembly. It is reported that at the Government Assembly held on January 17, 2017, the decision was confirmed to deprive the lawyer of all functions, "being cautious and only aware of the facts that have been officially communicated to him, and of the fact that Mr. Miguel Alonso Belza has not resigned as Deputy." He has been removed from the teaching of the Master’s Degree in Law and his appointments as a lawyer in matters and interests of the Gipuzkoa Bar Association have been cancelled.
They also unanimously decided to separate Miguel Alonso Belza from the Support and Counselling Services for women victims of gender-based violence, "in order to ensure that the service works as usual".
Finally, "The Governing Board wishes to express the utmost respect for the ongoing judicial activity and the presumption of innocence of the person affected, and also to reaffirm the commitment of our Organization and our Lawyers to eliminate this social evil, which is the most important activity to achieve the permanent and special protection of the rights and freedoms of women victims", says the note.
Lawyer against sexist violence, investigated for it
Attorney Miguel Alonso Belza is facing a restraining order for allegedly beating his partner between April and December 2016. The court order sees a possible crime of “habitual mistreatment” as well as a number of crimes related to gender violence.