The Constitutional Court on Tuesday dismissed the GONG NGO's request for a constitutionality assessment of a decree under which St. Mark's Square in Zagreb has been closed to the public since October 2022, when Danijel Bezuk shot at the government building, wounding a policeman and then killing himself.

The Constitutional Court said it was not competent to decide in this case, making its decision with a majority vote, with five judges dissenting.

GONG filed its motion in late July last year, stating that the square in the centre of Zagreb, where the government and parliament buildings are located, was absolutely closed to the public for an indefinite time, with metal barriers and police checkpoints.

The decree violates citizens’ right to free assembly and movement as well as causing problems to people living near the square, GONG said in its motion.

A month ago, the NGO said the barriers in St. Mark’s Square were there because of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s arbitrariness. It also called out President Zoran Milanovic for supporting barriers outside institutions and Croatia’s “sliding into a police state”.

The Interior Ministry and the Security and Intelligence Agency says the square was closed to the public to prevent another attack and that the level of danger is confidential, GONG said then, adding that the public has the right to know all the facts about the level of danger.