Building Partnerships to Strengthen Freedom of Assembly in Russia

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Freedom of assembly is highly restricted in a number of European countries. Over 70% percent of freedom of assembly violations found by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the last ten years are still pending implementation. 

EIN is working with Russian NGOs, Memorial and OVD-Info, to promote the implementation of ECtHR Judgment Lashmankin and Others v. Russia, concerning issues of freedom of assembly in Russia. These organisations will provide recommendations to the Russian Ministry of Justice regarding the legislative amendments and reforms necessary to properly protect freedom of assembly in the country, in line with the standards of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). They are working to form an alliance of organisations calling for change on this issue - not only with NGOs, but also engaging with local government, public authorities and media outlets to maximise potential reach and impact.

See Memorial and OVD-Info’s Rule 9.2 communication to the Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers.

Assisted by EIN,  Memorial and OVD-Info have submitted a Rule 9.2 communication to the CoE Committee of Ministers on Lashmankin, highlighting problems within Russian laws that restrict freedom of assembly. Serious problems include special criminal liability for participating in unauthorised public assemblies; gaps in laws that govern public events; an absence of real punishment for local authorities for non-compliance with relevant laws; a non-transparent system of approving events; a lack of public statistics; absence of control over regional compliance with the Federal law; or the European Court’s Lashmankin judgment; ineffective control over the police’s actions during detentions and arrests at public assemblies; and lastly, a general lack of awareness or negative attitude towards the principles established by the European Court on the part of the authorities, police and courts.

This communication also provided recommendations to Russian authorities to improve the situation with respect to public assemblies, including; setting new laws that govern assembly, amending old laws which are consistent with ECHR standards, training sessions, reasonable increases to the maximum number of participants permitted in assemblies, and ensuring that security measures are adequately in place. In early September 2020, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe issued a Decision, echoing this call for reform and requesting that the Russian authorities make changes on key issues.  

Mass public protests have been crucially important to securing human rights and democracy across Europe. As well as playing a key role in pivotal historical moments, protests are important for allowing people to make their voices heard and contribute to the ongoing running of any democracy. 

EIN is excited to collaborate with Memorial and OVD-Info to advocate for freedom of assembly in Russia and promote the implementation of the Lashmankin judgment.

For media coverage on this alliance with various stakeholders on freedom of assembly in Russia:

For more information on assembly in Russia, see OVD-Info’s report on single-person pickets here