By nearly any standard and in virtually every corner of the globe, 2016 was one of the most tumultuous years the world has seen since the end of the Cold War. Headline after headline brought us news of political upheaval, war, terrorism, health crises, endemic corruption, environmental disaster, economic turmoil and more. The pace and magnitude of the change and adversity was, at times - to use Merriam-Webster’s 2016 word of the year - “surreal.” But there was another side to this story, one with a much more hopeful tone: Despite its myriad troubles, 2016 was also a year where people came out in nearly unprecedented numbers in an attempt to address our problems - through organizing in their communities, through protest, through political engagement, through labor unions and more. It was, in other words, a year where assembly and association rights took center stage as a tool for fixing what appeared to be a crumbling world order. And the fact that people exercised these rights in such large numbers was no small feat. The long-lamented phenomenon of “closing space” for civic engagement is certainly real, and it spread dramatically in 2016. A recent report from CIVICUS found that roughly 85% of the world’s population lives in countries where the rights to expression, assembly or... Continue reading →
The events of 2015 unfolded as another epic, global tug-of-war over the role that assembly and association rights play in our world today. At certain times and in some places, they appeared inexorable – the lifeblood of citizen movements and a vehicle for the voices of ordinary people. At others, they were under siege, on the verge of going extinct. On the one hand, the year saw an emphatic continuation of the global trend of massive protest movements. Activists in dozens of countries successfully harnessed public discontent, drew unprecedented numbers to rallies and commanded attention, both at home and abroad. The common thread was, as with 2014, people’s anger over government abuse of power. Burundi exploded with anti-government protests after Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would be running for a third term that most said was illegal; conflict continued after he won that third term. People in Brazil, Malaysia, Moldova and elsewhere took to the streets in extraordinary numbers to protest against government corruption. And in Guatemala, a similar movement succeeded in ousting the President. The Republic of Korea, Japan, the United States of America and South Africa saw huge gatherings over social issues ranging from labor policies to militarization to police brutality to education. And... Continue reading →
NAIROBI - UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai has released his mandate’s first ever year-end report, which reviews the events of 2014 – from Ukraine to Egypt to the United States to Kenya – from the perspective of assembly and association rights. The report, which serves as both a first draft of history for the events of 2014 and yearbook of his mandate’s activities, is being released initially in digital format. Printed copies are expected to be available later this year. “It is still too early to tell just how 2014 will be remembered from the perspective of assembly and association rights: The year of the protest; the year of the revolution, the year of shrinking space,” Kiai writes in the report. “But one thing is certain: It will be a year that we remember.” The report notes that 2014 proved to be a year of monumental developments in the area of assembly and association rights, though the direction of change was rarely positive. Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela all witnessed massive political and social upheaval spurred by popular protests – but in some instances, these movements were followed by increased restrictions on assembly and association rights. Civil society organizations across the world continued to face a wave of restrictive new laws, often... Continue reading →
Two thousand fourteen proved to be a year of monumental developments in the area of assembly and association rights, though the direction of change was rarely positive. Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela all witnessed massive political and social upheaval spurred by popular protests – but in some instances, these movements were followed by increased restrictions on assembly and association rights. Civil society organizations across the world continued to face a wave of restrictive new laws, often targeting disfavored groups specifically or civil society generally. In Nigeria, for example, new legislation banned all associations dealing with LGBTI issues, while Egypt introduced a new law to give the government veto power over civil society’s activities. Meanwhile, attacks and harassment of human rights defenders engaged in civil society work continued virtually unchecked. Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli died in custody after being arrested on her way to the UN Human Rights Council. A host of Azerbaijani activists were imprisoned for their human rights work, including 2014 Vaclav Havel award winner Mr. Anar Mammadli. And in Bahrain, Nabeel Rajab found himself again detained over his online criticism of the government, just months after being released from a two-year... Continue reading →
