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The Albanian Helsinki Committee Opens Free Legal
Clinic
 07.06
2007
The Albanian Helsinki
Committee is an organization for the protection
of human rights. It was founded on December 19,
1990, as the “Forum for the protection of
fundamental human freedoms and rights.” On March
22, 1992, the organization became a member of
the International Helsinki Federation, assuming
the name it bears today.
Part of AHC’s mission is to
protect human rights and reinstate them when
violated. This is achieved through public
reactions, letters addressed to state
authorities, on-site verifications, legal
counseling, etc.
According to observations by
human rights organizations, including the AHC,
free legal aid in Albania leaves much to be
desired, both in terms of quality and in terms
of the scope of services it covers. Due to that
reason as well as requests by citizens, AHC took
a new initiative to open a Legal Clinic to offer
free legal services in the penal area, primarily
for individuals in need and who cannot afford
expenses for a lawyer. This was made possible
thanks to assistance by the Swedish Helsinki
Committee.
The primary objective of
this service is to strengthen the rule of law
through better protection for vulnerable groups,
whose rights are violated by representatives of
state institutions.
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Persons who are
victims of violence and inhuman
treatment by police bodies and personnel
of detention facilities and prisons;
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Persons who are
victims of discrimination (including the
Roma and Egyptians) by employees of
state institutions in general;
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Violation of
citizens’ rights as a result of undue
legal process.
The new service offered by
AHC will include Treatment, verification and
legal counseling on complaints addressed to the
AHC.
The novelty of AHC in this
case includes legal assistance offered to
citizens to complete documentation for the
court, addressing complaints to competent state
institutions, and in special cases of flagrant
violations of human rights, representation in
court.
The Legal Clinic will
involve qualified lawyers who will offer
Albanian citizens not only seriousness, but also
confidentiality.
For the first time in
Albania, free new advocacy services are offered
for cases when representatives of state
institutions have exercised violence, torture,
and other inhuman treatment, when they have
discriminated against and have violated the
rights of persons in due legal process.
The free legal service will
be focused in Tirana, but it will also be
available in some districts where AHC
correspondents are active, namely in Korçë,
Shkodër, Vlorë, Elbasan, Fier, and Gjirokastër.
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By telephone
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By office meetings
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By letters sent to
AHC’s address
In cases when you think your
rights are violated by state institutions that
are a target of the free legal services, we
invite you to present yourself to the Albanian
Helsinki Committee at the following address:
Albanian Helsinki Committee
Rr. Gjin Bue Shpata, P. 5/1
Ap.4, Tirana
P.O. Box 1752
Tel/Fax: 04 233671
Cel: 0355 68 20 23699
E-mail:
office@ahc.org.al
e.saliu@ahc.org.al
For more information,
please consult our website on the internet
www.ahc.org.al
[1] The Legal Clinic has
been established in the context of the project
“For a better protection of victims of human
rights violations in Albania.” It is a one-year
project (April 2007 – April 2008) and was
supported financially by the Swedish Helsinki
Committee |
