The public assembly (protest) law in modern Russia: constitutional foundations and problems of implementation

The author of the article investigates existing Russian legislation on freedom of assembly and in particular analyzes the latest amendments to Russian law on meetings and demonstrations which were adopted by the Russian Parliament in 2012. The focus point of the research paper is concentrated on the investigation of practical problems by implementation of general provisions of the Russian Public Protest legislation. In the introduction the reader can find information about actual situations in Russia related to the wave of public protest which appeared in 2009-2012. In the main part of the article the hot issues of the Russian Public Assembly (Protest) Law are discussed, especially the new rigorous provisions with regard to the liability of the organizers and participants of public meetings and demonstrations. Attention is also given to the legislative shortcomings (for example with regard to existing legal provisions about notification procedures by the organisers of a public event and the lack of regulations to prevent police violence during public gatherings). The author arrives at the conclusion that the legislative activities in the field of the Russian Public Assembly (Protest) Law will continue in the immediate futurealexander.salenko@gmail.comБалтийский федеральный университет имени Иммануила Канта, Калинингра