ST. PETERSBURG/MOSCOW, May 18 - RAPSI. The Constitutional Court ruled that rally organizers should not be held liable for gathering more participants than they initially declared.

The court noted that although the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is not absolute and can be restricted by federal laws, the authorities should seek to reach a balance between the interests of rally organizers and participants on the one hand and the interests of other individuals on the other.

Judge Yuri Rudkin told journalists that rally organizers should be held accountable for exceeding the declared number of rally participants only if it posed a real threat to public safety.

He also said that in the case of a real threat to public order and safety, the police must either put a stop to the rally or isolate it.