Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) - The Administrative Court rejected lawsuits filed by the Association of Transporters of Montenegro, which challenged the Police Administration’s decisions banning a planned protest on main roads near border crossings.

The rally had been planned from 23 March to 23 April, with the aim of blocking the entry and exit of freight vehicles and disrupting the transit of goods through Montenegro. 

The Court found that the Police Administration had correctly assessed that such a rally would seriously disrupt the daily lives of citizens, freedom of movement, and the uninterrupted supply of goods, and would have a negative impact on the economy and international trade.

“Although the right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental human right, it is not absolute and is subject to limitations necessary in a democratic society to protect the rights and freedoms of others, public order, and security,” the Administrative Court stated in a press release.

The Court concluded that the planned month-long rally, involving the continuous blockage of freight traffic, would pose a real and foreseeable risk to the population and the economy, and that the ban constituted a proportionate measure to protect the public interest.