Law Minister says Indonesia expands community-based access to justice
The Indonesian Minister of Law, Supratman Andi Agtas, stated that Indonesia is continuously expanding access to justice through a people-centred justice approach.
During the 14th Saint Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPILF) in Russia on Thursday, Supratman, in an official statement, introduced several initiatives to bring legal services closer to the community, one of which is the Village Legal Aid Post (Posbankum Desa) which is now present in all villages across Indonesia.
“This programme is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s Asta Cita. Modernising the legal system is not just about utilising technology, but also about how legal services are present more closely, are easily accessible, and are responsive to the needs of the community,” he said.
According to him, the Village Posbankum services include the provision of legal information, legal consultation, mediation, advocacy, and referrals to advocates if a case proceeds to a more complex legal process.
Through these services, the government hopes that the public can obtain legal assistance from the early stages so that the resolution of legal issues can be carried out more quickly, easily, and effectively.
Supratman’s participation in the 14th SPILF is part of a series of working visits to Russia which began on Wednesday (24/6).
This marks Indonesia’s second participation in the forum and reflects the increasingly close legal relations and cooperation between Indonesia and Russia.
On the sidelines of the forum, Supratman also held a bilateral meeting with the Russian Minister of Justice, Konstantin Chuychenko.
The meeting discussed several strategic issues, including the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TSP) and BRICS international arbitration involving Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Previously, Supratman also met with the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Aleksandr Gutsan, to strengthen legal cooperation between the two countries.
This cooperation includes the exchange of information and best practices, human resource capacity building, the organisation of scientific and professional activities, and other forms of collaboration.
This aims to support the implementation of the duties and functions of both institutions, particularly regarding access to legal data and information to improve the quality of public services.
Such collaboration reflects Indonesia’s commitment to continuously strengthening legal diplomacy and expanding international cooperation to support the improvement of public service quality and the strengthening of bilateral relations between Indonesia and the Russian Federation.