Legal Position of Human Rights Defenders in Serbia in Terms of Basic Human Rights – Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Assembly, the Right to Liberty and Security, and the Right to Association

Freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, the right to liberty and security, and freedom of association are often inseparable rights when it comes to any form of activism. In this document, they were specifically addressed because it is precisely these rights that were violated by most of the recorded attacks and pressures suffered by human rights defenders. In its practice, the European Court of Human Rights frequently connects these four rights and emphasises their importance in a democratic society.

In the absence of answers in domestic practice, we will turn to the practice of the European Court of Human Rights, which has set internationally accepted standards in the exercise of these rights and freedoms through the interpretation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is an important source of law because it creates space for human rights defenders to use United Nations’ mechanisms for the protection of these rights, primarily by addressing the Human Rights Committee.

The publication is part of the “Breaking Fear” project implemented by the “Solidarity for the Rights of All” network. The network is consisted of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP), the Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights (YUCOM) and the People’s Parliament. This project received the support of the project of the Government of Switzerland “Together for an active civil society – ACT”, implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and Civic Initiatives. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Government of Switzerland, Helvetas or Civic Initiatives.