The OSCE Office in Baku opened a Legal Resource Centre (LRC) in Ganja today to offer free legal advice to residents and support training activities for legal professionals, OSCE said. This is the third LRC established in Azerbaijani regions under OSCE Office's support. The first two centers are in Sumgayit and Lenkoran.

"These centres have proven to be a valuable asset for the local population, as demonstrated by the large number of diverse cases handled by the centres' lawyers and by the constant increase in the number of applications,"the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku, Ambassador Bilge Cankorel said at the opening ceremony.

The LRC will also offer computer and Internet access and a library for law practitioners in Ganja, the second largest city in western Azerbaijan, and the surrounding regions.

The centre will also strengthen the capacity of practising lawyers, judges and prosecutors with regard to applicable national laws and proceedings, as well as international fair trial and human rights standards through specialized training sessions conducted by OSCE experts.

A special hotline has been established at the Ganja LRC to help provide prompt assistance and to be able to assist a larger number of people. The LRC in Ganja is being operated by the non-governmental organization Transparency-Azerbaijan.