Protection of constitutional rights in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic was discussed in Chernihiv

The constitutional right of everyone to legal aid is, in essence, a guarantee of the implementation, protection and safeguarding of other human and civil rights and freedoms, and this is its social significance. To discuss the state of observance and protection of the constitutional rights of citizens in the Chernihiv region, the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and the Regional Center for the Provision of Free Secondary Legal Aid in the Chernihiv Region, together with partners, organized a round table on June 25, 2020.

The round table was attended by: Director of the Regional Center for the Provision of Free Secondary Legal Aid in the Chernihiv Region

Iryna Protchenko

; Deputy Director of the Regional Center

Olesya Pyrkovska

; Director of the Chernihiv Local Center for Free Secondary Legal Aid

Volodymyr Bobruyko

; Deputy Head of the North-Eastern Interregional Department of the Ministry of Justice in Chernihiv Oblast

Viktor Zhuravko

; Program Manager of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights

Nataliya Kulikova

; Head of the Branch of the State Institution “Probation Center” in Chernihiv Oblast

Yevhen Skaliun

; Legal Advisor of the Chernihiv Oblast Center for Social Services for Family, Children and Youth

Anastasia Maleyko

; Regional Representative of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in Chernihiv Oblast

Iryna Zhmaka

; lawyer of the public organization “MART”

Dmitry Naumenko

and senior investigator of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Chernihiv region

Kseniya Yevdochenko

.

During the round table, the participants discussed the importance of respecting constitutional rights and other rights and freedoms of a citizen, as well as the possibilities of their protection. They exchanged experience and developments in this area, taking into account the specifics of the work of the organizations and the charters of the representatives of which were present at the event. The results of the provision of legal assistance by the Regional Center for 2019 and five months of 2020 were presented. In addition, the implementation of the project “Rehabilitation Program for Minors Suspected of Committing a Crime” was discussed.

The inalienable right of every person is the right to protection, so in 2020 the Regional Center issued 641 orders for the protection of a person, of which: 5 in the case of protection of persons subject to administrative detention or arrest; 155 for the protection of persons detained on suspicion of committing a crime; 452 cases of appointment of a defense lawyer by appointment and separate procedural action in criminal proceedings; 29 cases of provision of BVPD to convicted persons. It is worth noting certain results of the provision of free secondary legal aid by the Regional Center. Thus, thanks to the efforts of lawyers cooperating with the free secondary legal aid system, in 93 cases a minimum or milder sentence was imposed, in 31 cases the accused was released from serving a sentence with probation, in 5 cases it was possible to justify to the court the expediency of choosing a milder preventive measure, and in 1 case the amount of the charge was reduced, – said

Iryna Protchenko

.

Olesya Pyrkovska

introduced the participants to the Recovery Program, in particular, she drew attention to the fact that if the circumstances of the criminal proceedings meet the conditions of the Procedure for the Implementation of the Pilot Project “Recovery Program for Minors Suspected of Committing a Crime”, the prosecutor informs the minor, his legal representative and the victim about the possibility of implementing the Program by involving the Regional Center for the Provision of BVPD as a mediator and concluding an agreement on the application of the Program. The mediators in this process are lawyers who cooperate with the system. They assist the parties in reconciliation and help to find out what kind of compensation the parties need. The start of the program implementation in Chernihiv region was preceded by successful experience in other regions, where it was possible to give a second chance to young offenders.

In addition to state institutions, non-governmental organizations, in particular, the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights, actively participate in monitoring the observance of human rights and providing legal assistance to the population. During the quarantine period, the specialists of the Public Committee provided 213 consultations and prepared 35 procedural documents. The legal assistance provided was not limited to the borders of the Chernihiv region, many applications came from our citizens from abroad, since people could not return home and did not know how to act in this situation. The organization’s specialists, in fact, supervised the return of our compatriots home, providing a step-by-step algorithm of actions, – noted

Natalia Kulikova

.