PUBLISHED: JANUARY 2019

The right to free assembly is an indispensable element of democracy and a healthy civil society. Recent years have seen a new era of mass protests, but also a significant increase in practical restrictions on the right in Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership countries.

The European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) supports its network of local partners (in Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia and Ukraine) to monitor local laws, observe protests, report challenges and engage in the legal reform process to protect and promote this fundamental right.

These monitoring reports from 2017-18 build on previous efforts and explore issues that are of relevance for all the participating countries. Accordingly, beyond the legal framework, the reports also look at the role of civil administration, policing, criminalization of protesters, as well as the overarching issue of accountability.

Individual reports for each of the 11 countries are available via the link.