The Right to Free Assembly in the Balkans Summary Report Published!

The rights to assemble, demonstrate, protest and gather together in public space, are central elements of a democratic society and a means of citizens to collectively express their views, contribute to social, cultural and political discourse, and hold the authorities to account. In recent years there have been numerous high profile cycles of assemblies across the Balkan region including protests throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina during 2015; protest about the government in Bulgaria in 2013 and 2014; protests for fair elections in Montenegro in 2015; the Colourful Revolution in North Macedonia in 2016; and most recently the Justice for David campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018 and early 2019 or the ‘One of Five Million’ protests in Serbia in 2018-2019. The report also offers recommendations designed to highlight a range of issues that appear to be common to some or all of the eight Balkan countries and are designed to build on existing legal structures and good practice to better ensure that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is fully protected. Read more about the report here.

Source: ECNL