Text consolidated by Valsts valodas centrs (State
Language Centre) with amending laws of:
10 April 2003 [shall come
into force on 14 May 2003];
18 March 2004 [shall come into force on 26 March
2004];
3 November 2005 [shall come into force on 23 November
2005];
23 November 2006 (Constitutional Court Judgment) [shall
come into force on 1 December 2006];
26 April 2007 [shall come into force on 25 May
2007];
11 December 2008 [shall come into force on 1 February
2009];
16 June 2010 [shall come into force on 14 July
2010];
14 November 2013 [shall come into force on 11 December
2013];
20 June 2019 [shall come into force on 16 July
2019];
11 November 2021 [shall come into force on 8 December
2021];
21 April 2022 [shall come into force on 23 April
2022].
If a whole or part of a section has been amended, the
date of the amending law appears in square brackets at
the end of the section. If a whole section, paragraph or
clause has been deleted, the date of the deletion appears
in square brackets beside the deleted section, paragraph
or clause.
|
The Saeima1 has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following law:
On Meetings, Processions, and
Pickets
Chapter I
Right to Organise Meetings, Processions, and Pickets, and to
Participate in Them
Section 1. (1) The State guaranteed and protected
expressions of freedom of peaceful assembly are meetings,
processions, and pickets.
(2) A meeting is organised for purposes of assembly, in order
to meet people and express ideas and opinions (for example,
regarding various socially significant of political, economic,
and social nature). Within the meaning of this Law, an assembly,
a meeting, or other similar assembly shall be treated as a
meeting.
(3) A procession is organised moving on the roads, streets,
squares, pavements, or other territories designed for traffic, in
order to express ideas and opinions (for example, regarding
various socially significant issues of political, economic, and
social nature). Within the meaning of this Law, a demonstration,
a procession, or similar movement shall be treated as a
procession.
(4) A picket is an event during which a person or persons are
expressing ideas and opinions (for example, regarding various
socially significant issues of political, economic, and social
nature) in a public place, using posters, slogans, banners, or
other means, but during which no speeches or public addresses are
made.
[210 April 2003; 3 November 2005; Constitutional Court
judgment of 23 November 2006; 26 April 2007; 14 November
2013]
Section 2. (1) This Law shall not apply to:
1) public festivities, commemorative, entertainment, sports or
recreational events which are regulated by the Law On Safety of
Public Entertainment and Festivity Events;
2) events organised by religious organisations, which have
been registered in accordance with the procedures laid down in
the laws and regulations, in churches, houses of prayer,
cemeteries, in the land parcels owned by a church, or other
locations intended for this purpose;
3) wedding or funeral ceremonies;
4) promotional arrangements.
(2) If it is determined that the application does not apply to
the scope of this Law, it shall be examined in accordance with
the relevant law and regulation governing the relevant event.
[14 November 2013]
Section 3. (1) In accordance with this Law, everyone
has the rights to organise peaceful meetings, processions, and
pickets, and also to participate in them.
(2) The exercising of this right shall not be subjected to any
limitations, except those laid down in the law, or necessary in a
democratic society in order to protect the interests of the State
and the public safety, prevent disorders or criminal offences,
safeguard public health and morality, and also the rights and
freedoms of others.
(3) The State shall not only provide the opportunities of
assembly, but also ensure that there are no interferences to the
assembly.
[10 April 2003]
Section 4. The organiser of a meeting, procession and
picket, the manager of the event, the assistant to the manager of
the event and the person who maintains order in the event shall
not be a person who:
1) is less than 18 years old;
2) is not a citizen of Latvia or a person that has the right
to receive a non-citizen's passport issued by the Republic of
Latvia, or a person to whom a permanent residence permit is
issued;
3) seeks to use the abovementioned events for the purposes of
organisations the operation of which is prohibited in Latvia or
is related to popularisation and glorification of the events
containing ideology of Nazi or communist regime, including the
glorification of days of commemoration of battles and victories,
the occupation of free and independent territories or parts
thereof related to such ideologies;
4) [10 April 2003];
5) within a year, has been punished in accordance with
administrative procedures for infringing meeting, procession, and
picket organisation or procedural requirements, or for petty
hooliganism, or for malicious non-compliance with legitimate
requirements of a police officer, or for infringement of rules of
the commencement or termination of public organisation's
operations;
6) is deemed to be incapacitated.
[10 April 2003; 3 November 2005; 21 April 2022]
Section 5. (1) Meetings, processions, and pickets may
also be organised by legal persons that are registered in
accordance with the procedures laid down in the law of the
Republic of Latvia, on the condition that within a year, these
persons have not been punished for infringement of requirements
of meeting, procession, or picket organisation or procedure.
(2) In such case, they shall appoint one or several
responsible event organisers (hereinafter - the organiser) who
shall meet the requirements laid down in Section 4 of this
Law.
[3 November 2005]
Section 6. (1) The organiser shall be responsible for
compliance with this Law during meetings, processions, and
pickets.
(2) The organiser of the event shall be accessible by phone
indicated in event application, and the organiser shall provide
local government authorities and competent State institutions
with the information concerning the programme of the event upon
their request.
[26 April 2007]
Chapter II
General Provisions
Section 7. (1) Meetings may be organised both indoors
and outdoors.
(2) Meetings may be either open or closed.
(3) In open meetings, everyone who wishes has the right to
participate, including representatives of mass media. Limitations
may be set only in relation to premises or area of the territory
where the meeting is held.
(4) In closed meetings, only persons invited by the organiser
of the meeting may participate. Closed meetings shall be
organised only in locations that are not in public use during
such meetings.
Section 8. Assembly place and procession route shall be
selected so that the planned event would not take place closer
than 200 m from any monument in the territory of Latvia
glorifying the victory and memory of the Soviet army or its
soldiers and so that it would minimally interfere with the
vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
[21 April 2022]
Section 9. (1) During meetings, processions, and
pickets, an open access for pedestrians and vehicles shall be
provided to State and local government authorities in whose
neighbourhood the events are held, and operations of these
authorities may not be restricted.
(2) During meetings, processions, and pickets, these events
may not interfere with the proceedings of any public event, any
event organised by State and local government authorities, or any
pre-notified meetings, processions, or pickets.
(3) Meetings, processions, and pickets shall not be organised
in private owned buildings tor on privately used land parcels
without a written consent from their owners or managers.
(4) Local government may issue binding rules regarding
procedures for organising meetings, processions, and pickets and
occurrence thereof in specific locations.
[26 April 2007]
Section 10. (1) During meetings, processions, and
pickets, the laws and regulations governing public order shall be
observed.
(2) It shall be prohibited during the abovementioned
events:
1) to turn against independence of the Republic of Latvia and
its territorial integrity, to make proposals on forcible change
of the state structure of Latvia, and also to encourage to
disobey the laws;
2) to propagate violence, hate, Nazism or communism
ideology;
3) to propagate war, and also praise or call to commit
criminal offences and other violations of laws;
4) to use, including in stylised form, the flags, clothing
(uniforms) identifying affinity to the armed forces and the
bodies (repressive authorities) for the keeping of laws and order
of the former USSR, former republics of the USSR and Nazi Germany
and also the elements of such clothing the combination of which
(pieces of clothing, accessories, identification marks, cockades,
epaulettes, gear) can be clearly visually identified as the
abovementioned armed forces or repressive authorities, to use the
coats of arms and national anthems, Nazi swastika, SS signs, St.
George ribbons and soviet symbols, i.e. a sickle and a hammer
along with a five-pointed star, except for the cases where the
purpose of the use thereof is not related to the glorification of
totalitarian regimes or acquittal of committed criminal offences,
or they are used for educational, scientific, or artistic
purposes;
5) to popularise and glorify the events containing the
ideology of Nazi or communist regime, including the birthdays of
persons representing such ideology, the days of commemoration of
battles and victories, the days of glorification of occupation of
free and independent territories or parts thereof, except for the
cases when the purpose of such event is not related to the
glorification of totalitarian regimes or justification of
committed criminal offences, or they are used for educational,
scientific or artistic purposes;
6) to use the symbols used in the stylistics which identifies
military aggression and war crimes, except for the cases when
there is no purpose to justify or glorify such crimes;
7) to act in a way which causes danger to the safety and
health of participants of the event or other persons.
[10 April 2003; 21 April 2022]
Section 11. (1) A member of a meeting, procession, or
picket, during the event shall not:
1) hold in one's possession substances, weapons, or other
objects that by their nature are designed or can be used for
inflicting bodily injuries to human beings or damage to
property;
2) be equipped with passive means of protection (helmet, hard
hat, body armour, etc.);
3) conceal one's face behind a mask;
4) [3 November 2005];
5) [21 April 2022];
6) engage in anti-moral acts;
7) act in the manner that endangers safety and health of the
members of the meeting, procession, or picket, or the safety and
health of others, or affect them physically.
(2) Event organisers and members are prohibited to deliver to
the place of venue of the event any objects referred to in
Paragraph one, Clauses 1 and 2 of this Section and also in
Section 10, Paragraph two, Clause 4 of this Law, and also to hold
them in one's possession or in vehicles that are closer than 500
metres from the place of venue of the event.
[10 April 2003; 3 November 2005; 26 April 2007; 20
June 2019; 11 November 2021; 21 April 2022]
Chapter III
Submission and Examination of an Application
[26 April 2007]
Section 12. (1) The organiser shall submit an
application for organising a meeting and a procession, with the
exception of:
1) closed meetings;
2) meetings that are not publicly announced;
3) meetings and processions organised by State institutions or
local governments;
4) meetings that are organised in the premises or territory of
a trade union, and also rented premises;
5) open meetings that are organised indoors.
(2) The organiser shall submit an application for organising a
picket, if the picket is publicly announced.
(3) An application shall always be submitted if the meeting,
procession, or picket interferes with the vehicle or pedestrian
traffic.
[26 April 2007]
Section 13. (1) The application shall be submitted to
the local government in the administrative territory of which the
event is to be held. If the event is to be held in the
administrative territory of several local governments, the
application shall be submitted to each local government. The
local government shall send a copy of the application to the
relevant territorial State police unit and the municipal
police.
(2) The application shall be submitted not earlier than four
months and not later than 10 working days before the day of the
event. If an event is organised for an incident about which it
was reasonably impossible to know earlier than 10 working days in
advance, the application for organising such meeting, procession,
or picket shall be submitted as soon as possible, but not later
than 24 hours before the event takes place.
(3) Employees of the local government shall make a note on the
time the application was submitted on the application copy kept
by the applicant.
[26 April 2007; 16 June 2010; 20 June 2019 /
Amendment to Paragraph one regarding the supplementation of
the third sentence with the words "and the municipal police"
shall come into force on 1 July 2020. See Paragraph 2 of
Transitional Provisions]
Section 14. (1) The application shall state the
following:
1) type of the event (meeting, procession, picket);
2) purpose of the event;
3) event date, starting and ending time;
4) place of venue for a meeting or picket, route for a the
procession;
5) planned number of participants;
6) what kind of support is requested from local government and
police to facilitate undisturbed occurrence of the event;
7) organiser (one or several) and the phone number for
contacting the organiser;
8) manager of the event;
9) assistants to the event manager and persons for maintaining
order.
(2) When submitting the application, a natural person shall
present his or her passport, and a representative of a legal
person shall present his or her passport, and submit an
authorisation of the legal person to submit an application.
(3) For all the persons referred to in the application, their
given name, personal identity number, and place of residence
shall be indicated, but for legal persons - their full name,
legal address, and registration number.
(4) The following shall be appended to the application:
1) a list of persons maintaining order and their signatures
that prove their consent to participate in the event as persons
maintaining order, or a copy of an agreement, if the event
organiser hires commercial security guards for providing public
order and safety during the event;
2) a written consent for organisation of the event given by
the owner or manager of the place of venue of the event, if this
person is not the organiser of the event and the event is held on
the land privately owned by him or her or privately owned or
privately used land parcels.
(5) The number of persons for maintaining order shall be
determined by the organiser and calculated in such a way so the
event can proceed in a peaceful and organised manner. After
submitting the application, the organiser is entitled to replace
individual persons for maintaining order or increase their
number.
(6) If the number of participants of the planned event exceeds
one hundred, for every hundred members no less than two persons
for maintaining order shall be assigned.
(7) For maintaining order, the organiser may invite commercial
security guards. If so, the number of persons maintaining order
shall be determined according to the provisions of Paragraph six
of this Section.
(8) Together with the application, the manager of the event
and the assistants to the manager shall submit a notification
that they are responsible for compliance with this Law during the
event.
[3 November 2005; Constitutional Court judgment of 23
November 2006; 26 April 2007; 16 June 2010]
Section 15. (1) After receiving an application, the
local government shall ascertain that all the provisions of this
Law are complied with.
(2) In addition to that laid down in Paragraph one this
Section, the local government shall ascertain that:
1) the event will not interfere with other previously
announced public events, events organised by the State or local
government, or previously announced meetings, processions, or
pickets;
2) the organisation of the event in the expected time and
location will not cause significant problems for vehicle or
pedestrian traffic;
3) the organisation of the event in the planned time,
location, and form, will not endanger the rights of others, the
democratic system of the State, public safety, welfare, or
morality.
(3) In order to prevent the conditions abovementioned in
Paragraph two of this Section, the local government together with
the organiser shall examine what changes are needed for the place
of venue, time, or form of the event. For the examination, police
and, when applicable, representatives of other concerned persons
shall be invited.
(4) When examining an application for organising a meeting,
procession, or picket, the local government shall take into
account the opinion of the police and other competent State
authorities regarding conditions abovementioned in Paragraph two
of this Section, and options to prevent them.
(5) [14 November 2013]
[26 April 2007; 14 November 2013]
Section 15.1 (1) In order not to endanger
the participants of the event and to prevent conditions referred
to in Section 15, Paragraph two of this Law, the local government
is entitled to decide on limitations regarding the place of
venue, time, and form of the event, without interfering with the
purpose of the event, if it cannot agree with the organiser on
the changes necessary to be introduced to the process of the
event.
(2) Local government is entitled to take the decision to
prohibit the event if it is concluded that organising of the
event will endanger the rights of others, the democratic system
of the State, public safety, welfare, or morality, or will
promote activities which are prohibited by this Law, including
the popularisation of Nazi and communism ideology, war
propaganda, military aggression, promotion of hatred and enmity,
and these risks cannot be prevented by limitations to the process
of the event.
[14 November 2013; 21 April 2022]
Section 16. (1) The local government is entitled to
take the decision abovementioned in Section 15.1 of
this Law, not later than five working days prior to the date of
the announced event. If the application for the event is made
pursuant to the procedures and time period laid down in the
second sentence of Section 13, Paragraph two of this Law, then
the local government is entitled to take the decision
abovementioned in Section 15.1 of this Law not later
than six hours before the announced event.
(2) If the conditions indicated in Section 15, Paragraph two
of this Law are determined after the time period laid down in
Paragraph one of this Section, the local government is entitled
to take the decision abovementioned in Section 15.1 of
this Law after clarifying the relevant conditions.
(3) If the conditions indicated in Section 15, Paragraph two
of this Law set in during the event, a police officer is entitled
to determined event limitations needed for maintaining public
order and safety, regardless of the decision taken by the local
government. It may be asked to document such action of a police
officer as a written decision, and it may be contested and
appealed in accordance with the procedures laid down in the
Administrative Procedure Law.
[14 November 2013]
Section 17. (1) Limitations and prohibitions laid down
by the local government to organise the event may be appealed to
the Administrative District Court. Submitting an application to
the court shall not suspend the operation of the administrative
act.
(2) The court shall adjudicate the cases abovementioned in
Paragraph one of this Section within three days of the date the
application was received in accordance with the procedures laid
down by the Administrative Procedure Law.
(3) Defendant shall submit all the explanations and proof
during the hearing, meeting the amount of proof laid down for the
defendant in the Administrative Procedure Law.
(4) The judgement of the Administrative District Court made on
the issues abovementioned in Paragraph one of this Section shall
be enforced without delay.
(5) A judgement of the Administrative District Court that is
made regarding issues abovementioned in Paragraph one of this
Section, may be appealed by submitting a cassation complaint to
the Department of Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court
Senate.
[26 April 2007; 11 December 2008]
Chapter IV
Process of a Meeting, Procession, and Picket
Section 18. (1) Meeting, procession, and picket may not
start before the time stated in its application.
(2) During a meeting, it is allowed to use a megaphone,
microphone, and other sound boosting devices, provided such use
is stated at the time of submitting the application for the
event, and the use of such devices is not limited or
prohibited.
(3) The event may not be started, if the organiser, event
manager, assistants to the manager and sufficient number of
persons for maintaining order are not present.
(4) The organiser, of the event, manager, assistants to the
manager and persons for maintaining order shall be present in the
place of venue of the event throughout the event.
(5) Persons for maintaining order shall have a certificate
issued by the organiser of the event, and they shall present it
when asked by a representative of the local government or a
police officer. During the event, persons for maintaining order
shall wear a bandage or other form of clearly visible signs.
[26 April 2007; 14 November 2013]
Section 19. In meetings, processions, and pickets,
there is freedom of speech and linguistic freedom.
Section 20. (1) The manager of a meeting, procession,
or picket, and assistants to the manager shall be responsible for
compliance with the provisions of this Law and for maintaining
order during the event. They shall maintain the order both
personally, and with the help of persons for maintaining order.
If children are participating in the event, the manager of the
event shall provide protection of the rights of these children,
in accordance with the Protection of the Rights of the Child
Law.
(2) Participants of the event shall avoid actions that may
impede peaceful and organised event proceedings, and the
participants shall obey the instructions given by the manager of
the event, assistants to the manager, persons for maintaining
order and the members of the police.
(3) During a meeting, speeches can be made only when
authorised by the manager of the event or assistant to the
manager.
[18 March 2004]
Section 21. (1) During open meetings, processions, and
pickets, compliance with this Law shall be controlled by
representative of the local government, and also employees of the
police.
(2) An employee of the police is entitled to give binding
instructions to the organiser of the event, manager,
participants, and persons for maintaining order, in order to
ensure compliance with the requirements laid down in this Law in
conformity with specific conditions at the place of venue of the
event.
[26 April 2007]
Section 22. During open meetings, processions, and
pickets, it is allowed to make audio and video recordings, to
take photographs and to film.
Section 23. (1) If participants of a meeting,
procession, or picket infringe the provisions of this Law and do
not obey the instructions of the manager of the event, assistants
to the manager, and persons for maintaining order, the manager
shall either declare the event to be closed, or turn to an
employee of the police or representative of the local government
to restore order.
(2) If the participants of the event do not obey the
instructions given by an employee of the police or representative
of the local government regarding compliance with the
requirements of this Law, the member of the police or
representative of local government shall declare the event to be
closed, or shall demand that participants thereof leave the place
of venue of the event.
Section 24. The Police shall not allow any meetings,
processions, and pickets, which are organised without compliance
with the requirements of this Law.
Chapter V
Administrative Offences in the Organisation and Process of
Meetings, Processions, and Pickets and Competence in
Administrative Offence Proceedings
[20 June 2019 / The new
wording of the Chapter shall come into force on 1 July 2020.
See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]
Section 25. For the violation of the determined
procedures for the organisation and process of meetings,
processions, and pickets, a warning or a fine of up to seventy
units of fine shall be imposed on natural persons but a fine of
up to five hundred and eighty units of fine - on legal
persons.
[20 June 2019 / The new wording of Section shall
come into force on 1 July 2020. See Paragraph 2 of
Transitional Provisions]
Section 26. Administrative offence proceedings for the
offences referred to in Section 25 of this Law shall be conducted
by the State Police or municipal police.
[20 June 2019 / Section shall come into force from 1
July 2020. See Paragraph 2 of Transitional
Provisions]
Transitional Provisions
[20 June 2019]
1. Section 17, Paragraph five of this Law shall not apply to
cases for which the District Administrative Court has adopted
judgement before 31 January 2009. A judgement in such cases shall
be appealed in accordance with the procedures laid down in the
Administrative Procedure Law.
[11 December 2008; 20 June 2019]
2. The amendment providing for the new wording of Section 11,
Paragraph one, Clause 5 of this Law, the amendment to the third
sentence of Section 13, Paragraph one providing for the
supplementation thereof with the words "and the municipal
police", and the new wording of Chapter V of this Law shall come
into force concurrently with the Law on Administrative
Liability.
[20 June 2019]
The Law was adopted by the Saeima on 16 January
1997.
President G. Ulmanis
Rīga, 30 January 1997
1 The Parliament of the Republic of
Latvia
Translation © 2023 Valsts valodas centrs (State
Language Centre)