Authoritarian regimes fear peaceful protests because they fear voice of free citizens.

JUN 27 2026 · 18:24

#protest #albania The right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental right protected by Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Authoritarian regimes fear peaceful protests because they fear voice of free citizens. I see it happening everyday in my country, the whole state machinery against hundred thousands peaceful protesters. Criminalisation of dissent, stigmatisation of demonstrators, the portrayal of civil society as enemies of the state, intimidation and threats. And when these methods fail, force is used. When governments treat peaceful protesters as security threats rather than citizens exercising their rights, democracy is no longer functioning properly.