The Ministry of Justice’s Center for Coordination of State-Guaranteed Legal Aid held the Annual Decade of Legal Assistance from December 3-10, 2018.
During the decade, 4,622 people received free legal consultations and assistance.
The following most frequent requests came from citizens, including:
As a part of the decade, Free Legal Aid Centers (FLACs) under territorial units of the Ministry of Justice provided free legal aid throughout the country. Overall, 1,291 people received legal assistance in the FLACs and 780 at state notary offices. Furthermore, coordinators of state-guaranteed legal aid (SGLA) provided legal assistance to 366 citizens, lawyers, included in the SGLA register, provided legal aid to 344 citizens, and non-profit organizations providing legal support and legal clinics to 32 citizens.
In addition, over 6,000 copies of informational and educational materials were produced, and 18 lectures on human rights activities and FLA provided for 1,223 students in universities throughout the country.
The main goals of the decade was to improve access to justice, ensure the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens through the effective implementation of the Law on State Guaranteed Legal Aid, and raise public awareness aimed to empower citizens to assert their rights.
The decade was organized in partnership with the UNDP and MFA of Finland project “Towards a sustainable access to justice for legal empowerment in the Kyrgyz Republic”, USAID Collaborative Governance Program, European Union and GIZ “Rule of Law Program in the Kyrgyz Republic - the 2nd phase”, and Soros Foundation – Kyrgyzstan’s “Rule of Law Program”.