The Right of Citizens to Organize and Hold Public Events in the Decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation

The constitutional right of citizens to organize and hold public events, such as meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches, and picketing, serves as a vital mechanism for interaction between society and the State, particularly in the political sphere. In recent years, federal lawmakers have introduced numerous amendments aimed at imposing restrictions on the conditions for organizing public events and increasing legal accountability for violations of the established procedures regulating activities under consideration. Subsequently, many of these norms have been scrutinized by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation (the CC). The CC has subjected them to constitutional interpretation. The paper elucidates the content of the legal standings adopted by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation regarding the legal nature of the right in question, as well as the permissible framework for its implementation by citizens and social associations. The paper highlights the legal status of organizers and participants of public events, the powers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in regulating the exercise of the right under consideration, and the peculiarities of judicial protection of this right. The paper explains the significance of the legal standings articulated by the Constitutional Court, particularly regarding their impact on legislative and law enforcement activities within the examined domain.

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