Anti-Terrorism Security of Events Involving Large Gatherings of People under Martial Law: Regulatory Gaps and Directions for Improving Legal Liability
Abstract
Purpose. To identify regulatory and procedural gaps in ensuring counter-terrorism security at mass-gathering events under martial law and to substantiate directions for addressing them by improving security planning, governmental approval procedures, oversight, and legal liability..
Method. The study employs formal legal, systemic-structural, comparative normative, and logical-semantic methods, as well as legal modelling, to analyse the regulatory framework, distinguish relevant legal categories, and develop an object-event model of counter-terrorism security.
Results. The study identifies a mismatch between the predominantly static, object-oriented system of counter-terrorism protection and the dynamic risks associated with temporary events. A transition to an object-event model is substantiated, and a nine-stage security planning model is developed. The differentiation of administrative and criminal liability for violations of mandatory security requirements is proposed.
Theoretical Implications. The theoretical and legal understanding of counter-terrorism security is expanded by incorporating temporal, spatial, and event-related factors in the formation of military-terrorist risks alongside the characteristics of the protected object.
Practical Implications. The findings may be used to establish a regulatory framework for risk assessment, approval, oversight, and security support of mass-gathering events, as well as to improve the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences and the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Originality/value. The study introduces the concepts of a “mass-gathering event involving an increased security risk,” a “temporary object of increased military-terrorist risk,” and “preventive counter-terrorism security support for an event involving an increased security risk.”
Limitations/future research. The study is based on publicly available regulatory, academic, and officially published information sources. Further research should focus on developing quantitative and qualitative risk assessment criteria, expert and practical validation of the proposed model, and drafting the relevant regulatory legal acts.
Article type. An analytical and policy-oriented article presenting the results of original theoretical and legal research.
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