Is free legal assistance possible in Chernihiv?

According to Article 59 of the Constitution of Ukraine, everyone has the right to legal aid. In cases stipulated by law, this aid is provided free of charge. The Law of Ukraine “On Free Legal Aid” obliges the state to ensure that everyone realizes a special state guarantee – the right to free legal aid.

Since 2012, centers for the provision of free secondary legal aid have been operating under the justice bodies, which mainly deal with legal aid in criminal proceedings and defense against charges.

At the same time, the Law delegates to local self-government bodies the right to ensure the provision of free primary legal aid in their communities. So far, local authorities in Chernihiv region have not created the conditions for the introduction of a system of free primary legal aid in their communities.

Today, an important problem of territorial communities is the lack of constant access to high-quality free legal aid. Systemic problems include the lack of funds in local budgets, the necessary human resources, and sometimes political will.

The creation of a system of free legal aid (FLA) serves both community residents and government representatives, because for citizens it is a real opportunity to receive high-quality free legal aid, protect violated or contested rights, freedoms and interests, and exercise the right to access to justice guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine. For state authorities and local governments, this is an opportunity to relieve the workload of their employees. The territorial community itself also benefits from the functioning of the FLA system – it reduces social tension in the community and increases the authority of local authorities.

The main partner in organizing the provision of primary legal aid in communities should be local self-government. Therefore, we hope that Chernihiv will become one of the pioneers in this area and in the future will create such a mechanism for members of its community.

At the same time, public human rights organizations have already accumulated significant experience in the field of providing free legal aid to citizens. Thus, citizens who consider their rights to be violated or who have difficulties in exercising their rights can apply for free legal aid to

The Center for Legal Information and Consultations

, which operates on the basis of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights with support at the following address: Chernihiv, 14000, Gorkogo St., 57/1; advance booking by phone in Chernihiv:


612-532


.