Sidewalks are prohibited!

On November 28, the “valiant” Voronezh Regional Duma adopted in the first reading the “gubernatorial” law “On Certain Issues of Conducting Public Events.”

The opinions of the public and experts in the field of freedom of assembly, proposed by the Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Zrazhevskaya and the human rights organizations ECOSOCIS and the Interregional Human Rights Group , were ignored.

If the law is adopted in its current form, then it will be impossible to hold public events on sidewalks and areas adjacent to them. That is, practically ANYWHERE. State Duma members need to learn from the “innovative” Voronezh deputies how to technically resolve citizens’ rights to freedom of assembly.

Andrei Yurov (member of the Presidential Council for Human Rights): “I really hope that in the second reading the completely unacceptable norms prohibiting holding public events on sidewalks and in close proximity to authorities will be removed from the bill. This is the essence of freedom of assembly - citizens should have opportunity to address the authorities with your demands.”

Alexey Kozlov (EXOCIS): “We really hope that common sense will prevail and the Regional Duma will take into account the positive experience of our neighbors from Lipetsk, who generally refused to introduce additional restrictions on the exercise of the right to freedom of assembly. The bill adopted in the first reading is unconstitutional in its essence and content "If it becomes law, we will appeal it both to the Constitutional Court and to the European Court of Human Rights."

Sign the petition against restrictions on freedom of assembly in the new law of the Voronezh region. Otherwise it could happen anywhere.