Experience of cooperation in strengthening the legal capabilities of communities was presented in Chernihiv

On October 23, 2017, a press conference was held to highlight the cooperation of the free secondary legal aid system in Chernihiv region with human rights organizations in the management of citizens and promoting the formation of territorial communities of Chernihiv region.

The event was attended by the director of the Regional Center for the Provision of Free Secondary Legal Aid in Chernihiv Region Iryna Protchenko and the head of programs of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights Nataliya Kulikova.

“If we talk about 9 months of work in 2017, the Regional Center: issued 1,535 mandates to lawyers to represent the interests of citizens in legal disputes. Of these, 31 cases involved the protection of persons subject to administrative detention or arrest; 335 cases involved the protection of persons detained on suspicion of committing a crime; 991 cases involved the protection by appointment and separate procedural action in criminal proceedings; 178 cases involved the provision of BVPA to convicted persons,” noted Iryna Protchenko.

She emphasized that in order to reduce the number of such cases requiring secondary legal aid, the Centers for the Provision of Free Secondary Legal Aid and their structural units are conducting legal education activities.

Thus, since January 1, 2017, 108 legal education activities have been held in educational institutions, 415 in state institutions, 4 “Open Door Days” and 211 in other institutions in the territory of Chernihiv region. During this period, 29 joint receptions with justice bodies were held by the Local Centers in the territory of Chernihiv region.

Public human rights organizations also continue to actively work in all areas of strengthening the legal capacity and providing mechanisms for legal protection of local communities and their residents, primarily vulnerable categories.

According to Natalia Kulikova, today, united territorial communities (UTCs) receive not only new opportunities and powers, but also a range of problematic legal issues that need to be resolved. There are legal conflicts in a number of regulatory legal acts, which in the future may create negative consequences for residents of these communities, lead to distrust of the authorities and increase social tension in communities. Therefore, cooperation between both state institutions and public organizations is necessary, because many legal issues arise in the activities of ATCs – in particular, regarding land legal relations, issues arising from the regulations of ATC work, etc.

“Today, we are trying to help communities not only with advisory assistance, but also by holding round tables with representatives of various state bodies, trainings, seminars on topical issues, and conducting, together with local centers of the BVPD, field consultations for ATO participants, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable categories of the population. In total, the lawyers of our organization provided almost 500 consultations to residents of the region and 26 consultations for communities in 9 months of 2017, – noted Natalia Kulikova.

We remind you that citizens who have become victims of human rights violations or need assistance in exercising their rights can apply for free legal assistance at:

1. Regional Center for Free Secondary Legal Aid in Chernihiv Oblast Address: Chernihiv, 39 Pyatnytska St., office 711. Single telephone number of the free legal aid system:

0-800-213-103

.

2. Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights Address: 57/1 Honcha St., Chernihiv, 14000 Legal aid hotline phone number: (0462)

612-532

.

The event was organized by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights in cooperation with the Regional Center for the Provision of Free Secondary Legal Aid in the Chernihiv Region and the Legal Development Network within the framework of the project “Strengthening the Legal Capacities of Local Communities in the Chernihiv Region” with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.