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 or a measure, for example, authorities prohibiting you from organising a demonstration, you may contest it in an administrative court. The procedure for filing a complaint is prescribed by the Code of Administrative Court Procedure.
Civil proceedings
Only a court can declare a strike unlawful. If you disagree with the county court judgment declaring a strike unlawful, you can appeal it to the circuit court and then to the Supreme Court in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure.
Labour Inspectorate
In connection with strikes, several important labour rights may be affected. You can complain about these violations to the Labour Inspectorate according to the Employment Contracts Act.
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.
Complaints to international human rights bodies
If you believe that the violation of your rights has not been remedied by Estonian 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 State Liability Act. 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.