Defending the Right to Protest: Acquittal in Blockade Case over Controversial Referendum Law

Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM represented K.M., who was accused in 2021 of organizing a public protest in Gornji Milanovac without notifying the police. The protest responded to adopting the Law on Referendum and People’s Initiative. K.M. had shared calls to action on her Facebook profile and in the “Mladi, Milanovca” group, urging citizens to block traffic in protest. However, the Misdemeanor Court in Čačak acquitted K.M. in 2023, a significant legal victory protecting human rights. The court determined that she did not meet the cumulative criteria to be considered the organizer of the public gathering. The court concluded that K.M. did not simultaneously call for, prepare, and organize the event. The court’s decision reaffirms that activism through social media engagement does not automatically equate to the formal organization of public events. This interpretation of the law sets a significant precedent for future cases involving social media activism and public protests.

Victory for Free Expression: Women in Black Cleared of Charges over Anti-War Protest

Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM successfully defended the organization Women in Black, which faced heavy fines for organizing a spontaneous protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Two days after the invasion began, Women in Black held a protest in Belgrade’s Knez Mihailova Street, displaying anti-war banners. Despite the spontaneous nature of the gathering, a misdemeanor procedure was initiated against the organization for failing to notify the police in advance, as required by law. While Serbian law allows for spontaneous gatherings as immediate reactions to events, its restrictive definition prevents such protests from having an “organizer.” After a two-year legal process, Women in Black were acquitted, marking an important precedent for spontaneous protests in Serbia.