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Annual Report 2006

Legal Education Program

The goal of the program is to initiate and support projects aimed to increase public legal awareness, promote knowledge and information on legal issues, develop legal culture, and assist citizens in application of the legal tools to protect their rights. We assist organizations that provide specialized counsel to the most vulnerable or socially discriminated groups. We strive to promote knowledge about legal instruments that enable citizens to claim their rights and defend against all forms of abuse of power by the state and local authorities. We support initiatives that contribute to increase the efficiency of the judiciary system and enhance the legal education of the citizens.

During 2006, we focused primarily on supporting activities that enhance citizens access to legal knowledge and information. We continued our support to the Citizens Advice Bureaus, in which trained advisers provide free-of-charge information and legal counsel in the field of the penal law, the labor law, refugee laws, consumer laws, and patient rights to individuals who cannot afford professional legal assistance. We made core support grants to 27 Citizens Advice Bureaus. Moreover, we made grants to 25 organizations dealing with specialist legal advisory for discriminated groups and people who are in a difficult life situation.

Advice for free

Giving solid information and communicating it in a clear and easy way is the main goal of the Citizens Advice Bureau launched last week. People can come to the bureau at Mickiewicza Street 29 with private and official matters. — Those can be problems related to family, residential, employment, unemployment, welfare, or even detainment matters — said Walbrzych Citizens Advice Bureau's director, Wanda Bielanska. The offer is addressed mainly to people who feel helpless in difficult life situations. They are unable to get through the complicated web of legal provisions. They do not know what rights they have, while legal counsel fees are too high. The Bureau's personnel guarantee impartiality and confidentiality of information. — We do not give our opinions on the client's actions. We apply the principle of the client's best interest — Bielanska said. In practice, it is as follows: people who would like to use Bureau's services are invited to a meeting with the consultant, who diagnoses the problem and after consultation with a professional presents all the possible solutions and their consequences to the client. It is the client who makes the final decision as to which of the solutions will be best. — Advice is based on the information system already operating at the Citizens Advice Bureaus, compliant with the regulations. We also use the knowledge of specialists in a given field. We cooperate with the County Labor Office, the City Family Aid Center, and the Social Insurance Board — explains the director. — We're convinced the Bureau will provide good service to the residents. Forty-two people have already benefited from our assistance — said Katarzyna Suszko, responsible for the first client contacts.

Bureau was opened thanks to the financial support of the city of Wałbrzych. — We have also got funding from the Batory Foundation and the World Bank — said Wanda Bielańska. The Citizens' Rights Ombudsman has assumed its patronage over the Bureau.

Wiadomości Wałbrzyskie, Kłodzko, May 22, 2006

In 2006, we continued also our support for organizations running the Youth Civic Rights Academy that offers all-year courses for high school students on human and civic rights. Eight such organizations were given grants.

Last year, in cooperation with the Polish Section of the International Commission of Jurists and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, we launched a project of public scrutiny of candidates to Constitutional Tribunal. We monitored the selection procedure, taking part in the sittings of the Parliamentary Justice and Human Rights Commission and analyzing the regulations and practice for the selection of judge. The project involved also: publication of the candidates' profiles compiled on the basis of available materials (cvs, academic achievements, public statements, published legal opinions, and a specially designed objective questionnaire) on the Internet site www.monitoringsewdziow.org.pl and their distribution to the media among the parliamentarians, examination of the candidacies in the context of legal requirements for this position, organization of public hearings of the candidates with the participation of legal circles and media.

Tribunal likely paralyzed?

— There are no candidates and the deadline for submissions may be missed. In Ukraine, for 1,5 year the Parliament blocked the works of the Constitutional Tribunal by not appointing its judges. The situation could be dangerous if such an act of political manipulation took place in Poland — said Professor Andrzej Zoll during yesterday's conference at the Batory Foundation.

Three NGOs: Batory Foundation, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, and Polish Section of International Commission of Jurists announced they would monitor the process of selecting the judges of the Constitutional Tribunal. — There should be a public debate on the candidates for one of the most important organ in the state that monitors the legislative and judiciary authorities and keeps watch of civic rights — said Zbigniew Lasocik from the Commission of Jurists. — It may turn out the debate will be impossible if candidacies are submitted at the last minute — added Łukasz Bojarski of the Helsinki Foundation.

— Today we are sending letters to the speaker of the Parliament and chairpersons of parliamentary clubs with the request to present the candidates in order to allow the debate to take place — said Grzegorz Wiaderek of the Batory Foundation. What should the debate look like? — So far information on the candidates was reduced to their bios. We want to gather more information on the candidates, organize their public hearings during which journalists and others may ask their opinions on various important matters.

Gazeta Wyborcza, October 5, 2006

With an intent to help the activities aimed to improve the functioning of the judiciary we supported Association of Polish Judges Iustiti that implement the program Efficient court — efficient judge, which in a comprehensive way analyzes the work on an individual judge and prepares detailed recommendations for improvements.

Program was financed from a grant by the Open Society Institute.

Program costs

Grants: PLN 608 136,01
Implementation of projects: PLN 25 197,35
Operating costs: PLN 96 301,71
TOTAL: PLN 729 635,07

Grants

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