Perhaps at some point in your life, you found yourself in a situation where you needed legal assistance (for any reason), but were unable to afford a lawyer. Maybe, after asking around with friends and acquaintances, you learned that in your city or county there is an Office for Legal Aid where you can receive free legal advice and/or more specific assistance. And indeed, such a service exists in our country. Everywhere - except in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and the Central Bosnia Canton.

To make the situation even more absurd, the Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton adopted the Law on the Provision of Free Legal Aid back in 2013. Accordingly, all the necessary implementing acts were also adopted. The city of Mostar, as the location for the Office's headquarters, provided the space for its operations. Since then, the Government of the HNK/Ž has been planning annual budget allocations for the Office to function. The Office has officially been opened. Despite all of the above, the director of the Office has not yet been appointed. This means that, although the Law and necessary acts have been adopted, the premises have been provided, and funds are regularly planned, no one in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton who needs legal aid — which is one of the basic human rights — can access it. Despite receiving written and verbal support from all sides, with assurances that the Office would be operational by the end of 2024, this has not happened. However, a significant step forward has been made, thanks to the initiative of civil society, as associations from Mostar have actively engaged in resolving this issue and advocating for the Office to finally become functional. Representatives from the Association for Education and Development 'Dignitet' and the Nansen Dialogue Center 'NDC Mostar' launched the 'Right to Legal Aid – Mostar' campaign to encourage the relevant institutions to unblock this process and have the Office, which is open but non-functional, start operating. At the end of January 2025, ministers at a session of the Government of HNK/Ž selected Aida Zerem as the director of the Office for Free Legal Aid HNK/Ž from the candidates who applied for the position. Aida Zerem was the most successful of the four candidates who passed the competition. According to the prescribed procedure, an opinion was requested from the Agency for Civil Service of FBiH, which responded promptly with a positive opinion. The next step is for the Government of HNK/Ž to confirm Aida Zerem and officially appoint her as the director of the Office for Free Legal Aid HNK/Ž at their next session. In addition to appointing the head of the Office, it is necessary to hire the other staff members, which the representatives of the 'Right to Legal Aid – Mostar' initiative have requested to be done no later than 60 days after the director’s appointment.

All those who have been deprived of legal aid due to the previous non-functioning of the Office have been left to fend for themselves in previous years. Thanks to the 'Right to Legal Aid – Mostar' initiative, there is now optimism, as the Government of HNK/Ž has done what was necessary with the support of the Agency for Civil Servants of FBiH. The work of this Office will be directed and intended for users of permanent financial assistance, children without parental care, victims of violence, persons deprived of legal capacity and mentally ill individuals, members of the veterans' population, recipients of the lowest pensions, unemployed persons with displaced status, refugees, returnees, and demobilized soldiers, people in poor financial situations, as well as individuals involved in criminal proceedings without residence in HNK/Ž. According to available information, over 20% of the population in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton requires free legal aid.

The good news is that the process has been unblocked after more than a decade, and all those who, in recent years, had no one to turn to for free legal aid will finally receive the right that is legally guaranteed to them.