Ministry of Justice: authorities can organize rallies without prior notice

The Ministry of Justice explained the accelerated approval of the all-Russian action against terror after the explosion in St. Petersburg by the fact that the authorities can organize rallies without prior notice and other restrictions, since the federal law does not say anything about state bodies as applicants for mass events. It is reported by RBC.

The provisions of the federal law on rallies and processions do not apply to public events organized by state and municipal bodies. This is stated in the response of Yulia Manakhova, Deputy Director of the Department of Constitutional Legislation of the Office, to a request from Alexei Chumakov, lawyer at the Center for Anti-Corruption Policy (CAP) of Yabloko.

Earlier, on April 20, the prosecutor's office of Vladimir, in response to an appeal from local activist Anton Komin, who asked to check the legality of the approval of the “No to terror” memorial action, said that the law on holding rallies does not apply to the authorities. After that, Chumakov asked the Ministry of Justice to clarify whether the federal authorities agree with this position.

In response to Yabloko's lawyer, the deputy director of the department referred to the provision of the law on rallies, according to which individual citizens, political parties, public and religious associations can be the organizer of a public event. Accordingly, the authorities do not fall under these restrictions, the official said. In the letter, she emphasizes that the opinion of the Ministry of Justice on the appeal to the department cannot be considered as official evidence in court.