Abstract
The aim of this article is to study the nexus between the autonomy of minors in implementing the right to peaceful assembly and the best interests of the child in safety. We consider the issue, taking Russia as an example, where the past tradition of denying children’s legal personality still surfaces in modern legislation dealing with the rights of the child. Pursuing child-sensitive practices of minors’ participation in protest are of special importance for Russia, where the legislation uses the term, “the legitimate interest of the child”, different in scope to, “the best interests of the child”. Our meta-question, hence, is whether the legal system of the Russian Federation allows full respect for minors’ autonomy in implementing participation rights while adequately addressing vulnerability of children. The article scrutinises a body of rules governing participation of under-aged persons in protest rallies which are stipulated by constitutional and administrative law going back to the practices of the Soviet era and referring to the standards of international law.