On June 6, 2017, the office of the UNSR for freedom peaceful assembly and association launched FOAA Online – an online portal of user-friendly legal arguments for civil society activists who are fighting to defend those rights. The legal strategies have been aggregated from existing international human rights law, international treaty bodies, and regional courts…
On May 13, 2017, Iraqi Parliamentarians delayed the passage of a draft of the Law on Freedom of Expression, Assembly, and Peaceful Demonstration after citizens, civil society organizations, and trade and labor unions protested the proposed legislation. Through constructive dialogue, the coalition persuaded Members of Parliament to indefinitely postpone a vote on the bill, which…
Former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, released his final thematic report to the UN Human Rights Council entitled “Mapping the Achievements of Civil Society.” The report highlights successes of civil society across a variety of sectors over the past decade by identifying vital contributions…
On April 11, 2017, Congolese civil society organization La Voix Des Sans Voix Pour Les Droits De L’Homme (VSV) issued a statement condemning the government’s decision to ban public protests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The ban was intended to prevent the opposition political party Union for Democracy and Social Progress from…