Recently the institute “Respublika” has prepared the report on the observance in Ukraine of the right for peaceful assemblies in May-August of the current year.

Main principles of the future law on peaceful assemblies and demonstrations in the context of the European standards on human rights

The appeal concerns the illegal actions of Sumy militiamen against the students, who organized a protest action.

On 4 June the Supreme Rada of Ukraine rejected two law drafts concerning the right for peaceful assemblies. So, our country still has no legislative regulation of this question.

The Institute “Respublika” appeals to the MPs of Ukraine: do not approve the President’s law draft “On assemblies, meetings, street marches and demonstrations”, because it violates the fundamental human rights and freedoms and contradicts Article 39 of the Ukrainian Constitution!

Krasny Luch dwellers, who wanted to take part in the protest hunger-strike in Lugansk, were not let out from the town.

On 5 February 2004 the Severodonetsk town court rejected the request of the town mayor about the prohibition of a public meeting. Yet, the meeting was planned to be conducted as early as in August of 2003, but it did not take place because of the court prohibition.

The Poltava town authorities prohibited two meetings: The commemoration meeting devoted to the victims of the famine of 1933 and The meeting, at which the Lubny dwellers demanded from the authorities to work off their high salaries and to obey the law.

The Cabinet of Ministers stipulated the procedure of organizing and conducting the peaceful mass actions. It will operate until the adoption of the corresponding legal act.

The Odessa court again prohibited the protest actions organized by the opposition, but the actions were hold all the same.

The situation with human rights, in particularly the right for peaceful gatherings is deteriorating in Severodonetsk and in Ukraine as a whole. In this connection A. Svetikov offers to issue the report mentioned in the title.

The court consideration of the complaint against the resolution “On assigning the places for conducting meetings, rallies and other actions” of the local executive committee was hold in Severodonetsk. The resolution read that public gatherings might be organized only in three places assigned by the authorities. At the court the town official agreed for a compromise and replaced the word “assign” for the word “recommend”.

On 28-29 November the KhG, the Directorate of human rights of the Council of Europe and the Information office of the Council of Europe organized in Kyiv the seminar “The European standards on the freedom of peaceful gatherings and the freedom of associations in Ukraine and the improvement of the Ukrainian laws” that took place was also organized in the framework of this tradition. The problems were discussed of the freedom of associations and registering public organizations.