Issue No. 12 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • Experts in Chile to shape UN recommendations on managing peaceful assemblies • Vibrant civil society fundamental to Latin America’s successes thus far – and equally important going forward, Kiai says in Chile • UN experts: continued detention of Ethiopian journalists unacceptable • Pre-election violence endangers Burundi’s young democracy •… Continue reading →
SANTIAGO, Chile – Over 20 experts from throughout the Americas joined Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai in Santiago, Chile, last week for the first consultation in a project to develop practical recommendations for the proper management of assemblies. The recommendations were mandated by the UN Human Rights Council in resolution 25/38, and are due to be presented in March 2016, at the Council’s 31st session. They will be drafted jointly by Kiai, who is the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and Christof… Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations experts, including Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai, today condemned the violence in Burundi and urged the authorities to uphold human rights, including freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. They also called for a thorough and independent investigation into the human rights violations so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Over the past days, Burundi has suffered a wave of killings, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, the closure of media outlets and the targeting of human rights defenders…. Continue reading →
SANTIAGO, Chile – UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai met with regional government and civil society leaders here this week, telling them that civil society is “necessary in any society” – and that access to resources is equally essential for the sector’s very existence. “Not a single country in Latin America that can say it accomplished what it has without the help of civil society,” said Kiai, who is the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. “And it is equally important going… Continue reading →
GENEVA – The Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, today said the detention of the six so-called “Zone Nine” bloggers and three other journalists in Ethiopia over the past year has been “absolutely unacceptable”. The bloggers, who used an online platform to report on social and political issues in Ethiopia, were arrested on April 25 and 26 last year and have remained in detention ever since. The Federal First Instance… Continue reading →
