Free legal aid is not a privilege. It is a right. Access to justice must not depend on the financial situation of the citizen,” said the Minister of Justice, Jeton Shasivari, at the Eighteenth Meeting of the National Coordinating Body for Free Legal Aid.
“Behind every request for free legal aid there is a person. A person with a specific problem, a specific need and a right that needs to be protected. Therefore, we should not measure the success of the system only by the number of requests submitted or decisions made, but by whether the citizen received quality and efficient legal aid in a timely manner,” emphasized Shasivari.
He emphasized that the state has an obligation to provide a system in which financial condition of a citizen will not be an obstacle to the exercise and protection of rights.
"We must all be equal before the law, and equality has real meaning only if every citizen has a real opportunity to protect their rights. No one should be denied justice because they cannot afford it," said the Minister of Justice.
Shasivari pointed out that the Ministry of Justice has a central and responsible role in the functioning of the free legal aid system, through the Department for Free Legal Aid, regional departments and authorized officials who are directly available to citizens.
In this regard, the need for easier access to legal information, more efficient procedures, timely and quality legal aid and strengthening citizens' trust in institutions, were highlighted as priorities.
Representatives of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje, the Ministry of Justice, the Bar Association, the Ombudsman, authorized citizens' associations, legal clinics, experts and other relevant partners, participated in the meeting.
