You are entitled and encouraged to complain if you believe that your freedom of assembly or freedom of expression has been unlawfully restricted.
Administrative proceedings
If your right to peaceful assembly has been curtailed by an administrative act, for example, a decision of local government prohibiting you from organising a demonstration, you may contest it with the respective administrative or higher institution or in an administrative court. The procedure for filing a complaint is prescribed by the Administrative Procedure Law.
If you succeed, the decision will be overturned, and you will be allowed to proceed with the event. Note that court proceedings regarding the organisation of protests and similar events usually move very quickly so as to allow the court to hear the parties and make a decision before the date set for the event.
During strikes, several important labour rights may be affected. You can complain about these violations to the State Labour Inspectorate according to the Strike Law and the Law on Administrative Liability.
Only a court can declare a strike unlawful. Unfortunately, according to the Civil Procedure Law, such a decision cannot be appealed.
Police
If you believe that you have been unlawfully held or arrested by the law enforcement authorities during a demonstration, you have the right to file a complaint about the lawfulness of arrest and even request compensation if a violation has been found. Read more about the possibilities for complaining about the lawfulness of arrest.
If you have been mistreated by the police during your arrest, you have a right to complain about this. Read more about complaints about mistreatment during arrest.
Constitutional Court
If your right to peaceful assembly is restricted by law and you believe this is in violation of your human rights, you may also complain to the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court may accordingly declare the legal regulation restricting your right to protest incompatible with the Constitution.
Complaints to international human rights bodies
If you believe that the violation of your rights has not been remedied by Latvian institutions or courts, you can submit a complaint to international or European institutions, such as the European Court of Human Rights or the UN Human Rights Committee.
Compensation
In some cases, you may be entitled to compensation under the Law on the Compensation of Damages Caused by the State Institutions. For example, if it is found that you have been unlawfully prohibited from organising a meeting and therefore are unable to hold it in time and suffer monetary losses, you may be entitled to compensation. The law lays down the procedure for submitting the application and for its evaluation.