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Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- As mentioned earlier, any restrictions imposed must be necessary and proportionate to the aim pursued. Reference to the proportionality test is found in legislation governing peaceful assemblies in a number of countries, including New Zealand and Switzerland. In addition, such restrictions must be facilitated within "sight and sound" of its object and target audience, and "organizers of peaceful assemblies should not be coerced to follow the authorities' suggestions if these would undermine the essence of their right to freedom of peaceful assembly". In this connection, he warns against the practice whereby authorities allow a demonstration to take place, but only in the outskirts of the city or in a specific square, where its impact will be muted.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur further concurs with the assessment of the ODIHR Panel of Experts that "the free flow of traffic should not automatically take precedence over freedom of peaceful assembly". In this regard, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has indicated that "the competent institutions of the State have a duty to design operating plans and procedures that will facilitate the exercise of the right of assembly ... [including] rerouting pedestrian and vehicular traffic in a certain area". Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur points to a decision of the Spanish Constitutional Court which stated that "in a democratic society, the urban space is not only an area for circulation, but also for participation".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- The European Court on Human Rights clearly ruled "that citizens should be able to form a legal entity in order to act collectively in a field of mutual interest is one of the most important aspects of the right to freedom of association, without which that right would be deprived of any meaning". The procedure to establish an association as a legal entity varies from one country to another, but it is vital that Government officials act in good faith, in a timely and non-selective manner. The Special Rapporteur considers as best practice procedures which are simple, non-onerous or even free of charge (e.g. Bulgaria) and expeditious (e.g. Japan where registration applications may be directly filled in online).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is of the opinion that a "notification procedure", rather than a "prior authorization procedure" that requests the approval of the authorities to establish an association as a legal entity, complies better with international human rights law and should be implemented by States. Under this notification procedure, associations are automatically granted legal personality as soon as the authorities are notified by the founders that an organization was created. In most countries, such notification is made through a written statement containing a number of elements of information clearly defined in the law, but this is not a precondition for the existence of an association. It is rather a submission through which the administration records the establishment of the said association. Such a notification procedure is in force in a number of countries (e.g. Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Morocco, Portugal, Senegal, Switzerland and Uruguay).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Any decision rejecting the submission or application must be clearly motivated and duly communicated in writing to the applicant. Associations whose submissions or applications have been rejected should have the opportunity to challenge the decision before an independent and impartial court. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur refers to a decision of the Freedom of Association Committee of the International Labour Organization (ILO), in which it ruled that "the absence of recourse to a judicial authority against any refusal by the Ministry to grant an authorization to establish a trade union violates the principles of freedom of association".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The right to freedom of association obliges States to take positive measures to establish and maintain an enabling environment. It is crucial that individuals exercising this right are able to operate freely without fear that they may be subjected to any threats, acts of intimidation or violence, including summary or arbitrary executions, enforced or involuntary disappearances, arbitrary arrest or detention, torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, a media smear campaign, travel ban or arbitrary dismissal, notably for unionists. One or several of such violations is/are found in, e.g., Belarus, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Israel, the Philippines, , Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic and Zimbabwe.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Democracy, as a system through which the people participate directly or indirectly in the conduct of public affairs, has broad appeal across the globe. Elections, referendums and plebiscites, in which people choose their representatives and express their choice of laws or policies, are held in the majority of countries in the world. As stipulated in article 21 (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human rights, democracy is a process in which "[t]he will of the people [is] to be the basis of the authority of government". It is commonly thought of as a process with regular periodic, free and competitive elections to decide on policies directly or indirectly through chosen representatives that must be accountable to their electorate. In other words, democracy, as reflected in the electoral process, generally involves the use of clear predictable processes with uncertain outcomes, while a non-democracy can be identified by the fact that the whole electoral process is characterized by unclear and uncertain processes but with predictable outcomes. Nevertheless, the quality of elections is increasingly coming under scrutiny in order to ensure that election outcomes are representative of the will of the people. Elections confer legitimacy on Governments; if those elections are not considered to reflect the will of the people, therefore, a sense of discontent and disenfranchisement may result and sometimes cause violent conflict. In order to sustain the democratic ideal, it is necessary for regimes to uphold the rule of law, respect and protect human rights and remain vigilant and responsive to peoples' views and opinions at all times.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- The freedom of associations to engage in activities related to the electoral process should therefore be guaranteed to all associations, whether they are apolitical in their means and operations, partially or totally supportive of the Government or express criticism of Government policies. Hence, no associations should be compelled to express support for any electoral candidate. Nevertheless, it is important for any organization which voluntarily supports a particular candidate or a party in an election to be transparent in declaring its motivation, as its support may impact on elections' results. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that the strength of a democracy can be gauged by the extent to which diverse views and differing opinions are accommodated and even encouraged in public debate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- More specifically, the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are a critical means for individuals and groups of individuals to participate in public affairs. The exercise of such rights provides avenues through which people can aggregate and voice their concerns and interests and endeavour to fashion governance that responds to their issues. For example, such rights are essential in order to campaign and participate in public rallies, form political parties, participate in voter education activities, cast votes, observe and monitor elections and hold candidates and elected officials accountable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The maintenance of peace during the voting process is necessary for the electorate to turn out and exercise their right to vote. Nevertheless, although important, it should not provide a justification for continuing electoral malpractices and unjustifiable restrictions on the rights to peaceful assembly and of association or other rights, for example, unlimited and uncontrolled bans on protests or demonstrations against election results. Where such rights are violated at any point during the electoral process, prompt and effective remedies should be available and accessible, presided over by impartial arbiters.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur also acknowledges that, while only a segment of civil society organizations can work directly on election-related issues, such as voter education, election observation, the reform of electoral institutions and the accountability of candidates and elected officials, the election period provides a prime opportunity for a broader range of civil society organizations to engage with would-be elected representatives, highlight their concerns and interests, with a view to getting policy responses, and in general exercise their rights to participate in public affairs. For that reason, any discussion of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections must be inclusive of all civil society organizations, regardless of their areas of focus.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Ability of associations to access financial resources as a vital part of the right to freedom of association & Ability to hold peaceful assemblies as an integral component of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly 2013, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur has already stressed in his first thematic report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/20/27), that States have a positive obligation under international human rights law not only to actively protect peaceful assemblies, but also to facilitate the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (para. 27). The law only protects assemblies that are not violent and where participants have peaceful intentions, and that shall be presumed. Acts of sporadic violence or other punishable acts committed by others do not deprive peaceful individuals of their right to freedom of peaceful assembly (para. 25).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur believes that the exercise of fundamental freedoms should not be subject to previous authorization by the authorities (as explicitly expressed in the Spanish Constitution), but at the most to a prior notification procedure, whose rationale is to allow State authorities to facilitate the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to take measures to protect public safety and order and the rights and freedoms of others. Such a notification should be subject to a proportionality assessment, not unduly bureaucratic and be required a maximum of, for example, 48 hours prior to the day the assembly is planned to take place. A notification procedure is in force in several countries, including Armenia, Austria, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, Finland, Indonesia, Morocco, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Portugal, Senegal, Serbia, and the United Republic of Tanzania. Prior notification should ideally be required only for large meetings or meetings which may disrupt road traffic. In the Republic of Moldova, any assembly of fewer than 50 participants may take place without prior notification and the change from an authorization to a notification procedure fostered an increase in the number of individuals exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly. In this context, the Special Rapporteur regrets that the law on demonstrations recently adopted by referendum in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, provides for a fine of up to 100,000 Swiss francs for anyone who, inter alia, does not request an authorization to demonstrate or does not respect the content of the authorization.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- In the case of simultaneous assemblies at the same place and time, the Special Rapporteur considers it good practice to allow, protect and facilitate all events, whenever possible. In the case of counter-demonstrations, which aim at expressing discontent with the message of other assemblies, such demonstrations should take place, but should not dissuade participants of the other assemblies from exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly. In this respect, the role of law enforcement authorities in protecting and facilitating the events is crucial.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Ability of associations to access financial resources as a vital part of the right to freedom of association & Ability to hold peaceful assemblies as an integral component of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly 2013, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The term "resources" encompasses a broad concept that includes financial transfers (e.g., donations, grants, contracts, sponsorships, social investments, etc.); loan guarantees and other forms of financial assistance from natural and legal persons; in-kind donations (e.g., contributions of goods, services, software and other forms of intellectual property, real property, etc.); material resources (e.g. office supplies, IT equipment, etc.); human resources (e.g. paid staff, volunteers, etc.); access to international assistance, solidarity; ability to travel and communicate without undue interference and the right to benefit from the protection of the State.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Ability of associations to access financial resources as a vital part of the right to freedom of association & Ability to hold peaceful assemblies as an integral component of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly 2013, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Due to word limit constraints, this section will primarily deal with the issue of financial resources, including monetary transfers, in-kind donations and other forms of financial assistance (hereinafter "funding"). The report covers financial resources provided by natural and legal persons, whether domestic, foreign or international, including individuals; associations, whether registered or unregistered; foundations; governments; corporations and international organizations (including United Nations funds and programmes).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Ability of associations to access financial resources as a vital part of the right to freedom of association & Ability to hold peaceful assemblies as an integral component of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly 2013, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Whenever organizers have deliberately not respected a legitimate restriction imposed on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, sanctions should be proportionate to the offence with a view to not dissuading the holding of future assemblies. In many countries where a regime of authorization is in place, exorbitant fines are often in place in case organizers do not request authorization to demonstrate or do not respect the content of the authorization. Such fines are in many cases disproportionate, and have a chilling effect on the enjoyment of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of expression, as in the legislations of Azerbaijan, Russian Federation and (Canton of Geneva) Switzerland.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of multilateral institutions 2014, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur cautions multilateral institutions against what he sees as a total absence of will to take stock of situations that are often created or exacerbated by their own projects and meetings. The Special Rapporteur is alarmed at the extremely high number of reported violations to the right of peaceful assembly during summits of multilateral institutions as regularly happens with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the G20. The organizing States often react with determination to rein in the civil society multitude, using militarized security measures, cordoned-off zones for official meetings, repression of peaceful protesters, and a general reduction of space for democratic discussion with increasing penalties for public misbehaviour - rules that appear much more permanent than temporary and that receive the implicit consent of the multilateral summit organizers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- The Human Rights Committee understands "discrimination" to imply "any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference which is based on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, and which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by all persons, on an equal footing, of all rights and freedoms". The Committee has established that sexual orientation and gender identity also constitute prohibited grounds for discrimination under article 2 of the Covenant. Discrimination results from legislation and practices that explicitly exclude or target groups or individuals in those groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- [Various international law instruments point to particular principles and measures that States should adopt in order to achieve non-discrimination and equality. For example, States should:] Protect people from homophobic and transphobic violence, prevent torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity and also prohibit discrimination on those grounds, repeal laws criminalizing homosexuality, safeguard the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly for LGBTI people and recognize the rights of LGBTI people to enjoy or exercise, on an equal basis with others, all human rights and fundamental freedoms (A/HRC/19/41);
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- [International human rights instruments that protect the rights of particular groups specifically recognize directly or indirectly the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association for those groups:] The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women requires States to take all appropriate measures to ensure that women are able to participate in the political and public life of the country on equal terms with men. That includes the right to participate in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country (art. 7).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of multilateral institutions 2014, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is also concerned that the various United Nations bodies, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) all require different and uncoordinated processes of registration of NGOs - the only commonality being that they are all burdensome. Furthermore, it has been brought to the Special Rapporteur's attention that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which deals with the whole information technology sector, is currently made up exclusively of States and private companies. ITU also charges exorbitant membership fees, meaning civil society is unlikely to gain access soon, unless they are exempted from payment.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of multilateral institutions 2014, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur also believes that a pro-civil society organization culture within multilateral organizations is crucial. Such a culture should be rooted in the attitude that the organization is an agent dedicated to upholding ideals and effecting change, rather than a bureaucracy built to maintain the status quo. There must also be a willingness to call out Member States who fail to respect fundamental rights. Stating that some issues are "too political" - as the World Bank allegedly did when Human Rights Watch warned them that the Government was closing space for civil society in Egypt - is not acceptable. Finally, it should be acknowledged that a strong civil society sector is essential for multilateral institutions' effectiveness, as it is often the best source of information on the ground.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 74e
- Paragraph text
- [In relation to recommendations pertaining to the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur reiterates all the recommendations contained in his previous thematic reports. They are all the more relevant for individuals belonging to groups most at risk whose rights are more likely to be violated or unduly restricted. In particular, he calls upon States to:] Ensure that administrative and law enforcement officials are adequately trained in relation to the respect of the rights of individuals belonging to groups most at risk to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, in particular in relation to their specific protection needs;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- [International human rights instruments that protect the rights of particular groups specifically recognize directly or indirectly the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association for those groups:] In relation to non-nationals, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recognizes that States may require non-citizens to have work permits in order to be eligible for job offers. However, all individuals are entitled to the enjoyment of labour and employment rights, including the freedom of assembly and association, once an employment relationship has been initiated until it is terminated.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The process of registering an association may prove to be cumbersome for marginalized groups and exclude groups such minorities or persons with disabilities. For example, the language used to communicate could be inaccessible, and physical access to locations for registration could also be a challenge for those groups. Mandatory registration, particularly where authorities have broad discretion to grant or deny registration, provides an opportunity for the State to refuse or delay registration to groups that do not espouse "favourable" views. Associations formed to defend human rights, engage in civic awareness, and to lobby and advocate are susceptible to such delays and denials, as has reportedly been the case in the Sudan.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Comparative study of enabling environments for associations and businesses 2015, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur's analysis is based on the premise that States have an obligation under international law to take measures to both protect and promote the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. Restrictions on these rights must be strictly motivated by the limited concerns which are prescribed by law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. As stated by the Human Rights Committee, where such restrictions are made, States must demonstrate their necessity and only take such measures as are proportionate to the pursuance of legitimate aims in order to ensure continuous and effective protection of these rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Comparative study of enabling environments for associations and businesses 2015, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- As a starting point, the Special Rapporteur underscores that the right to freedom of association equally protects associations that are not registered, which means that associations should never be required to register. Allowing unregistered associations is fundamental to a good enabling environment for civil society. An association is simply a group of like-minded people who come together to pursue a common interest. A democratic State has no inherent interest in regulating this type of private activity in and of itself. Since associations cannot be presumed to be unlawful any more than businesses can, States should use ordinary civil or criminal law to address associational activity unlawful under international law, to the same extent they do for unlawful business activity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Comparative study of enabling environments for associations and businesses 2015, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Regrettably, in many jurisdictions, the authorities establish unreasonable requirements for the registration of associations and exercise far more discretion over the registration of associations than that of businesses. In the Cayman Islands, a for-profit entity may register by filing a memorandum of incorporation with the authorities; registration is immediate upon filing. The registration of associations, however, is subject to the full and exclusive discretion of the Governor, with no time limit stipulated for his decision. In Nicaragua, the granting of legal entity status to non-profit organizations requires an act of the National Assembly, while incorporating a business entity is comparatively easy, with no significant State discretion. In Belarus, registration applications filed by associations are considered within one month, extendable for another month. Businesses' registration, on the other hand, is considered complete the moment the application is filed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Comparative study of enabling environments for associations and businesses 2015, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that he does not necessarily advocate "identical" treatment across the board for businesses and associations, as there may be legitimate bases for different treatment in certain cases. He instead argues for "sectoral equity", which is a theme that he has referred to in his previous reports. Equity between sectors implies a fair, transparent and impartial approach in which the regulation of each sector is grounded in domestic and international law, standards and norms. Moreover, it implies regulations which are clearly set forth in law, with minimum discretion given to State officials.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph