The police have put off illegally the demonstration against the visit of the president of Poland

HCLU was disappointing to learn that the police have put off the demonstration of the Amnesty International without prohibitive order and legitimate base. The demonstration was announced in time – as the law of assembly requires.

From the beginning of 2003 the police violated boorishly many times the right of freedom of assembly, even during the electional campaign. This very case also confirms this.

HCLU does not contest that the police have the right to bar places on the base of police law for the good of protected persons. Although in May 2004, in front of the prime minister’s (who is a protected person) house the aggrieved persons of Baumag company were organising a demonstration. This demonstration was banned by the police referring to a law that had been already overruled and not referring to the good of the protected person. The police has seriously misused this rule.

HCLU does call the attention of the Metropolitan Police that the rule they refer to, the so-called ’safety zone for operational area’, does not exist within the Hungarian legal system, furthermore no circumstance can change the status of a public space. Interpreting the rule in this way lacks any legal ground.

Is is quite depressing the Ministry of Interiors, being in charge for the police, cannot guarantee fundamental political liberties, always referring, often rather picking up, interior political real or imaginary reasons to ban demonstrations.

 

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