29 March 2008

After the serous tragedy in the village of Gërdec, Soros Foundation supported the Free Legal Aid Project in Tirana (TLAS) and the Women Advocacy Center in offering some free legal services to the families of victims and of the ones injured in the tragedy.

Implementation of this project has started in delivering:
- full legal aid (advocacy and representation in the court) for the households of the 5 victims of Gërdec defining the civil responsibilities for the health, property and moral damage;
- representation in the court for opening testimonies for each households (minimum 25 court proceeding);
- representation in the court for asking for remuneration for the damage of life and defining the persons responsible for the tragedy;
- visits and meetings with the families affected by the tragedy of Gërdec;
- mobile legal aid in the villages affected by the tragedy;
- advisory service in the TLAS offices for about 40 other cases affected by the tragedy.

Several other actions are envisaged to be undertaken, inter alia, the preparation of a report on strengthening access of citizens to justice, respect of the labor rights, social and health insurance, profiting of the remuneration of the damage caused by the failure to respect laws and other illegal exploitations at work.