Public Assembly Under Threat: Safeguarding Civic Engagement

The panel reached a disheartening agreement, which is that the right to protest is being threatened around the world, especially in the region. They spoke of the further deterioration of civic rights, and the intimidation of activists which we are witnessing in the region.

The situation was characterised as a crisis which threatens to lead to lead to dangerous consequences to democracy Serbia, referencing the recent protests and the repressive response to them by the government. The panel also noted the rise of sexism on the internet, and the narrowing of public space for women human rights defenders especially.

Clément Voule, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Peaceful Assembly and Association, began the discussion by stressing the importance of basic political rights of free speech, association and assembly for any society. He connected any limitation of these rights to democratic backsliding and the exclusion of citizens from governance. He added that the right to protest is fundamental to democracy. He stressed that there needs to be a tolerant negotiation between law enforcement and the organisers of peaceful protests in order to prevent the use of force, and to create deescalation that would benefit both sides.

Jelena Sesar, Researcher, Amnesty International, shared the results of a major project she worked on, which give a dire picture of the region, where political rights are violated and activists are repressed. She added that recently there has been an increase of restrictive measures and harsh rhetoric by the regional governments, which are labelling protesters and calling them traitors. She highlighted that the right to protest is now seen as a privilege that can be taken away, and that protests are seen as a threat by repressive authorities, who are using more violence against them.  She also warned of the emerging threat of electronic surveillance of protesting citizens, undermining their right to privacy alongside the other threatened rights. Likewise she warns against the emerging environment of misogyny and anti-gender sentiment.

Milena Vasić, Lawyer and Programme Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights YUCOM, spoke of the introduction of new legislature that restricts the right to protest even more, and the change of the approach of the government towards protesters, which are re-qualified as anti-constitutional elements. She explained that government interprets laws in a way that contributes to the repression of citizens, and referenced a recent threat by the Serbian minister of internal affairs that violence will be used. She assessed all this as not being in line with international standards.