On behalf of the government, the Ministry of Justice submitted the bills on the freedom of assembly and the protection of privacy to Parliament today.
On multiple occasions the Constitutional Court established constitutional breaches manifesting themselves in omissions in connection with Act III of 1989 on the Freedom of Assembly.
In 2016 the Constitutional Court called upon the legislature to harmonise the criteria of the freedom of assembly and of the protection of private life. The foundations for this were created by the Seventh Amendment to the Fundamental Law which lays down that the exercise of the freedom of opinion and expression and of the freedom of assembly cannot result in the violation of the privacy of the lives and homes of others. The new bill is based on the German model, respects and guarantees the freedom of assembly, and regulates the exercise of the freedom of assembly on the basis of a modern approach, in accordance with the relevant international standards.
In conformity with the Seventh Amendment to the Fundamental Law, the bill on the protection of privacy guarantees the protection of private life and the inviolability of the private home and offers protection against harassment. The latest means of infocommunication have also changed the day-to-day forms of communication, and therefore the protection of privacy equally extends to physical harassment and harassment via the Internet. The individual’s dignity and his or her right to privacy must be guaranteed also on social media. Therefore the legislator’s intention guarantees the security of the individual’s private sphere also in respect of contents shared and published for private purposes.