Access to justice

Pristup pravdi

Pristup pravdi

Access to Justice Through Free Court Repesentation“ is the program implemented by IPC since 1998. It supports the process of return, local integration and community reconciliation.

Activities of the project promote and protect human rights of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in the wider area of Western Slavonia. Professional legal assistance is provided through free legal advice and court and administrative representations in property and statutory issues of our beneficiaries, namely in the procedures related to the return of private properties, material and non-material damage compensation, reconstruction, pension rights, citizenship, temporary and permanent residence. During the past ten years, IPC provided 13,063 legal advices in the office and over 18,000 legal advices over open telephone line. Furthermore, 1,294 court procedures and 1,774 administrative procedures were positively resolved. IPC lawyers performed 1,602 court representations before courts in Slavonski Brod, Nova Gradiska, Pozega, Pakrac, Daruvar, Slatina, Orahovica, Novska, Zagreb, Vukovar, Beli Manastir, Djakovo and Osijek. Our numerous court representations have positively influenced court practice, particularly in procedures concerning return of private properties and pension rights of our beneficiaries. IPC took an active part in public debates on the adoption of new laws which could affect the access to and exercising of rights of the most vulnerable population groups. In that regard, comments and proposals were given for the improvement of the following laws: Law on Foreigners, Law on Areas of Special State Concern, Law on Reconstruction, Law on Damage Compensation Due to Terrorist Acts and Public Demonstrations and Law on Free Legal Aid. Long-standing advocacy initiatives by IPC legal staff for new and better laws concerning returnees’ issues have contributed to the establishment of positive environment in Croatia. UNHCR has been supporting the “Access to Justice Through Free Court Representation“ program since it's very beginnings. Bides UNHCR, the program was supported by Open Society Institute, OSCE, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Netherlands Embassy, Embassy of Finland, Belgium Embassy, British and American Embassies.