NGOs under European Convention on Human Rights / Tymofeyeva

a trade union representing police officers (the first applicant), and its former president, vice-president and one of its members (the second, third and fourth applicants respectively). The union organised a public meeting in one of the main squares in Bratislava to protest against proposed legislative changes in the social security of the police. During the meeting, the participants requested the government to step down and held a banner with the text “If the state doesn’t pay a policeman, the mafia will do so with pleasure.” Afterwards, the Minister of the Interior of Slovakia criticised the meeting and its organisers and removed the natural person applicants (the second, third and fourth applicants) from the posts. The Minister also stated in the press that the union representatives had lost credibility and he would dismiss anyone who again acted contrary to the ethical code of the police. The Court observed that the Minister made his statements in reaction to the calls for the government’s resignation and the slogan on possible involvement with the mafia. Given his responsibility for the appropriate functioning of the entire Ministry of the Interior, the Minister was entitled to express his opinion on the situation. The Court therefore concluded that the applicants’ right to be heard or to continue pursuing trade-union activities had not been impaired in any way. In sum, the Court ruled that there were no violations of Article 11 of the Convention. By this, the Court provided evidence of a growing awareness of the fact that employment relationships generate restrictions to the exercise of Convention rights, which need to be justified given the circumstances of each case and the particular nature of the enterprise or institution concerned. 967 There are a number of other issues raised by representatives of trade unions before the Court. 968 This section does not follow an aim to cover them all, but only to demonstrate the basic principles in the decision-making process in respect of these unions as Article 34 NGOs. Let us have a look on the second biggest group of cases under Article 11 of the Convention before the Court: cases derived from submissions of political parties. 2.7.3 Submissions of political parties Very often, the Court finds a violation of Article 11 of the Convention in the cases concerning political parties. 969 The majority of complaints arise from the prohibition and dissolution of political parties, 970 as well as national authorities’ refusals to register political parties, 971 together with bans on different types activities. 972 967 DORSSEMONT, F. and LÖRCHER, K.The EuropeanConvention onHumanRights and the Employment relation (online). URL: accessed 2 March 2015. 968 See, Wilson, National Union of Journalists, cited above , and Demir and Baykara v. Turkey [GC], no. 34503/97, ECHR 2008 and Hrvatski liječnički sindikat , cited above. 969 Parti nationaliste basque, cited above; Partidul Comunistilor (Nepeceristi) , cited above ; Demokratik Kitle Partisi and Elçi, cited above ; United Communist Party of Turkey, cited above; Socialist Party of Turkey (STP), cited above; Republican Party of Russia , cited above. 970 The United Macedonian Organisation Ilinden – PIRIN, cited above; Republican Party of Russia , cited above; Demokratik Kitle Partisi and Elçi, cited above; United Communist Party of Turkey, cited above. 971 Partidul Comunistilor (Nepeceristi) , cited above, and Presidential Party of Mordovia , cited above. 972 Christian Democratic People’s Party v. Moldova , cited above, and Parti nationaliste basque, cited above.

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