Zalina Lalieva | |
|---|---|
| South Ossetian Minister of Justice | |
| In office 2017–2022 | |
| Preceded by | Marina Bestayeva (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Oleg Gagloev |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Independent |
Zalina Lalieva is a lawyer from the small partially recognized Caucasian republic of South Ossetia who served as President Anatoly Bibilov's Minister of Justice from 2017 to 2022.
Lalieva worked as a lawyer for the Parliament of South Ossetia since 2005. [1]
After the election of Anatoly Bibilov in the 2017 presidential election,Lalieva was named the new Minister of Justice. [1] During her appointment,Bibilov praised her "independent opinon",as she did not belong to his United Ossetia party,as well as her principledness. [2] Lalieva called the appointment "unexpected" but that she welcomed the post. [2] Her deputy was Marina Bestayeva,who had served as acting Minister of Justice between Bibilov's election on April 9,and Lalieva's appointment on June 7. [2] One of her first acts was to ban Jehovah Witnesses in South Ossetia,branding the group an extremist organization,and allowing the unrestricted searches and seizures of suspected Jehovah Witnesses. [3]
On July 11,2019,inmates at a South Ossetian penal colony started a hunger strike due to poor conditions. [4] After failing to negotiate with the inmates,employees in Lalieva's ministry force fed the inmates,and beat those that continued their strike. [5] [6] On July 7,2020,20 inmates of the same penal colony attempted to perform a mass suicide by slitting their wrists,however,each of them where forcefully given medical care and none died. [7] Shortly afterwards 20 of the 34 members of Parliament put forward a motion requesting a vote of no confidence to oust Lalieva,however,the vote was blocked by the head of the Council of Ministers,Erik Pukhaev. [8] [9]
In 2019 Lalieva met with her Russian counterpart Alexander Konovalov in Moscow to discuss creating a unified pension program,penal system,and bailiff service. [10] In 2021 Lalieva met with her Russian counterpart Konstantin Chuichenko over video-call to sign a Cooperation Program for 2022-2023 in the fields of digitalization,departmental rule-making,monitoring of law enforcement,forensic examination,state accounting and systematization of regulatory legal acts,etc. [11]
Lalieva survived a mass sacking of ministers by Bibilov in 2021,in the wake of the Murder of Inal Djabiev by excessive police force. [12] She would be replaced by the new President Alan Gagloev in favor of Oleg Gagloev,following Bibilov's defeat in the 2022 presidential election. [5]