The non-governmental organizations Action for Human Rights, Center for Women’s Rights, and Institute Alternativecontinue to protest against the amendments to the Law on Public Assemblies and Public Events, proposed by MPs from the ruling political parties. The subsequently introduced amendments have not addressed the core shortcomings of the proposal, which absolutely — in all cases — prohibits assemblies on public roads (only local roads have since been excluded).
Not every protest held on a public road is illegal or unjustified, as the proposed law now seeks to define — in clear contradiction to international standards on the right to peaceful assembly.
The draft still provides for an absolute ban on gatherings on public roads, backed by draconian fines designed to intimidate and deter citizens from exercising their rights — a particularly serious and disproportionate restriction.
We reiterate that before changing the law, there should have been a professional and inclusive debate on how to balance the right to peaceful protest with the right to freedom of movement, taking into account the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, as required of Montenegro by the European Union in the accession process.
We call on all members of Parliament to stand up for human rights and to use the opportunity in the Assembly not only to reject these amendments, but also to discuss why, in this heat, citizens are standing on the roads — and whether the authorities have made any genuine effort to address their problems through democratic means such as dialogue.