Starting next week the advocates of the Kharkiv law-defence group will commence granting free defence to the detained.

They will work in the framework of the pilot project supported by the Renaissance International Fund. For the time being the free advocate’s aid will be granted in one district militia department of Kharkiv, in Chervonozavodsky’s, whose chief already gave his agreement and permission to the Kharkiv law-defence group to be present from the moment of detention to the determination of the preventive measure at the interrogation with the detained. Advocates will also provide defence of the charged for the whole period of detention and represent their interests in court.  

As Arkady Bushchenko informed, a direct project executer, there is nothing unlawful in the project, since providing the detained with defense is presupposed by the criminal-procedural code of Ukraine. But because of the lack of financial possibility of the detained to invite an advocate and due to the absence of a free advocate at the detaining bodies the right for defense was regularly violated.

The purpose of the project is working through the technology of defense by outside advocates and working out cooperation of the public representatives and the Internal Affairs administration. However, as Arkady Bushchenko noted, it is not yet a public control. “It’s rather a routine job undertaken by the Kharkiv law-defence group because of the lack of those who should do this job”.

It should be mentioned that militia itself treated this initiative positively.

A report of the work done is planned to be issued that is to be presented at a round table after the end of the project. Besides, during the project a methodology manual will be prepared for advocates that will also be presented at the round table, where advocates, militia representatives, researchers and law-defenders will be invited. “If the experience is positive and our work will be beneficial, we’ll talk about project continuation and dissemination of this experience in other regions of Ukraine”, – Arkady Bushchenko said.

A RUPOR correspondent also learnt that a similar project is realized in Chernihiv by a public organization “Dobrochyn”.

Viktoria Onyshchenko
RUPOR