Issue No. 13 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: • UNSR presents latest reports to Human Rights Council; calls for binding human rights treaty for corporations • Cambodian civil society excluded from NGO bill drafting process, UN rights expert warns • Kiai joins experts to speak out on youth LGBT rights • “Azerbaijani activists must be freed before the Baku 2015 Games” • Bolivia: Special Rapporteur files amicus curiae brief challenging NGO regulations • The Special Rapporteur announces official visit to Chile in September 2015 • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special Rapporteur news in brief: May-June 2015 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (3.6MB file) or here (12.3MB full resolution file). To subscribe to our newsletter, please drop us a line at info@freeassembly.net with the subject line “subscribe to newsletter.” For other recent newsletters, see the links below: The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Issue 10) (January 2015) The Assembly and Association Briefing,... Continue reading →
GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, called for a new treaty binding businesses to respect fundamental human rights, and for States and corporations to fully engage with civil society organizations in the context of natural resource exploitation. “Corporations play an outsized role in the decision-making processes about exploitation of natural resources. But they are not subject to legally binding human rights obligations,” Mr. Kiai told the UN Human Rights Council during the presentation of his latest report. “It is time to address this issue more robustly; corporations must not escape responsibility to safeguard human rights.” In response to these concerns, the Special Rapporteur called upon States to enact a legally binding human rights instrument that applies to all corporations, regardless of their size or geographical scope. “I am aware that some would rather strengthen compliance with the Guiding Principles than have a binding treaty. But this should not be an either/or matter: Both should be pursued to protect human rights.” The Special Rapporteur also highlighted States’ responsibility to recognize civil society organizations, including affected communities, as key actors in the... Continue reading →
The Special Rapporteur’s factsheet summarizing his official visit to Kazakhstan in January 2015 highlights issues surrounding the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and is presented in an easy-to use “yes/no” format, with hyperlinks to source materials. This factsheet draws heavily from the Special Rapporteur’s report on the Kazakhstan visit, which was presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2015. It provides details and analysis of: • The authorization process for peaceful assemblies in Kazakhstan • The registration of associations, and the Government’s role in regulating the civil society sector • Difficulties faced by political parties and religious associations • The Special Rapporteur’s findings and recommendations • A note on an "disturbing surveillance incident in Aktau" • The Government of Kazakhstan's response to the report • And more The factsheet also gives background information on Kazakhstan, including vital statistics and its “scorecard” on ratifying key UN human rights treaties. For the Special Rapporteur’s full factsheet series, please see:... Continue reading →
GENEVA – United Nations Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai will be in Geneva this week to present his latest reports to the UN Human Rights Council and to participate in other events.Kiai, will present two reports covering his country visits to Oman and Kazakhstan and a third focusing on assembly and association rights of the context of natural resource exploitation. A fourth report contains his observations on the mandate’s official communications with UN Member States and replies between March 1, 2014, and February 28, 2015.Kiai, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, is scheduled to present to the 29th Session of the Council at the Palais des Nations, Room XX, during the June 17 session starting at 11:30 a.m. His presentation may run into June 18, depending on the length of other agenda items. The session will be broadcast live on http://webtv.un.org/.Thematic report: Natural resource exploitation Kiai’s fourth thematic report to the Council examines the role that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association play in opening space for genuine participation across the spectrum of natural resource exploitation activities. The report defines natural resource exploitation widely to include a broad range of materials such as land,... Continue reading →
Issue No. 10 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: • Full coverage of the Special Rapporteur's visit to Kazakhstan • Oman: UN experts call for the immediate release of activist Said Jadad, as reprisals continue unchecked • Lao: Two years later, Sombath Somphone still missing • Bahrain: Kiai joins call to drop charges against women activists for government criticism • UNSR releases first-ever annual report recapping 2014 • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special rapporteur news in brief: December 2014 - January 2015 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (1.5MB file) or here (6.5MB full resolution file). To subscribe to our newsletter, please drop us a line at info@freeassembly.net with the subject line “subscribe to newsletter.” For other recent newsletters, see the links below: The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, No. 7 (September 2014) The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, No. 8 (October-November 2014) The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, No. 9 (December 2014) All previous... Continue reading →
(English) АСТАНА/ЖЕНЕВА – Специальный докладчик ООН Майна Киаи завершил свой официальный визит в Казахстан во вторник, призвав Правительство содействовать и расширять демократическое пространство, в частности в отношении права на свободу мирных собраний и права на свободу объединений, основываясь на экономических успехах последних 23 лет. Он выразил разочарование в связи с предположительным наблюдением за людьми, с которыми он встречался. Г-н Киаи сообщил, что после встречи с представителями гражданского общества 23 января в Актау неизвестные фотографировали людей, выходящих из здания, что было похоже на секретное полицейское наблюдение. Специальный докладчик сообщил об этом полиции. Позже полиция представила... Continue reading →
(ру́сский язы́к) ASTANA/GENEVA – United Nations Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai completed an official visit to Kazakhstan on Tuesday by challenging the Government to build on its achievements in the economic arena over the last 23 years by facilitating and opening up democratic space, in particular the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. He also expressed disappointment at an incident where his sources appeared to come under police surveillance. Mr. Kiai said that on 23 January, after he left a meeting with civil society representatives in Aktau, unknown persons were photographing individuals exiting the building “in a manner commonly associated with secret police surveillance.” The Special Rapporteur reported the incident to police, who later produced a suspect, along with a written “confession.” Mr. Kiai said that the suspect was unequivocally not the same person who was taking photographs. The Special Rapporteur noted that the Government’s tendency to focus on restrictions, rather than the rights themselves, had resulted in a situation where rights were treated as privileges to be granted at the discretion of State authorities. He applauded the Government’s efforts to ensure cohesion, but noted that “maintaining stability is often misused... Continue reading →
(English version) Я хотел бы поблагодарить Правительство Республики Казахстан за приглашение посетить страну. Правительство Казахстана распространило постоянное приглашение на все специальные процедуры, и я очень ценю тот факт, что даты моего визита были быстро согласованы. Я рассматриваю этот шаг как намерение Правительства участвовать в конструктивном диалоге о праве на свободу мирных собраний и праве на свободу объединений, помимо других прав человека. Я очень рад этой возможности посетить и больше узнать о Казахстане. Кроме того, я бы хотел поблагодарить людей, с которыми я встретился, за сотрудничество, доброту и гостеприимство, оказанное моим коллегам и мне в ходе моего визита, и которые еще раз подтвердили... Continue reading →
(ру́сский язы́к) ASTANA - I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for inviting me to undertake this official mission here. The Government of Kazakhstan has standing invitations to Special Rapporteurs and I appreciate that it readily agreed dates for this visit. This is a positive step that I take as expressive of the Government’s willingness to engage in a constructive dialogue on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, among other human rights. I am delighted to have had this chance to visit Kazakhstan and learn more about it. I would also like to thank the people I met for the cooperation, kindness and hospitality extended to my team and I throughout the mission. They have confirmed Kazakhstan’s well-known tradition and reputation of warmth to visitors. I thank the Government of Kazakhstan for its co-operation before and during this mission, including facilitating my visit to meet Mr. Vladimir Kozlov, the jailed leader of Alga! party who is serving a seven-and-a-half-year jail term. I have met a variety of interlocutors including members of the executive, legislative and judicial branches and have had productive exchanges. I also met representatives of central authorities in Astana, representatives of regional and local... Continue reading →
Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai undertook an official mission to the Republic of Kazakhstan Jan. 19-27, 2015. The visit was carried out pursuant to his mandate to assess the situation of freedoms of peaceful assembly and association in the country. The Special Rapporteur concluded his visit by challenging the Government to build on its achievements in the economic arena over the last 23 years by facilitating and opening up democratic space, in particular the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. He also said he was “deeply disappointed” at an incident where his sources allegedly came under police surveillance. One of the most pressing issues, the Special Rapporteur said, was the Government’s approach to regulating peaceful assemblies. Although the right is guaranteed by Kazakhstan’s Constitution, all peaceful assemblies must be authorized by local authorities, and even authorized assemblies are limited to specific, government-designated sites. The right to freedom of association is also nominally guaranteed by Kazakhstan’s Constitution, but Kiai said that a web of laws and practices limit the real-world freedom of political parties, public associations, trade unions and religious associations to operate. Maina Kiai’s report on the visit was released in mid-2015,... Continue reading →
