Issue No. 27 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 our final issue: • Kiai completes term as Rapporteur, hands over mandate to Annalisa Ciampi • A thank you message from former Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai – and news on work yet to come • Kiai launches FOAA Online! – a web-based collection of legal arguments on assembly and association rights • Special Rapporteur files interventions in South Africa and Zimbabwe cases • Venezuela: allow peaceful protests and investigate killing of demonstrators • UN experts urge Russia to drop Jehovah’s Witness lawsuit which threatens religious freedom • Russia: “Immediately release detained peaceful protesters” • UN rights experts urge lawmakers to stop “alarming” trend to curb freedom of assembly in the US • Ahead of referendum, UN experts warn Turkey about impact of purge on rights • UN experts urge United Arab Emirates: “Immediately release Ahmed Mansoor” • Belarus: expert decries of violence against protestors, demands release of all detained • Hungary urged by UN expert to reconsider new law targeting Central European University • Maina Kiai’s Testimony... Continue reading →
(English) GINEBRA - El Gobierno de Venezuela debe facilitar las protestas pacíficas e investigar debidamente la muerte de al menos 25 personas en las manifestaciones recientes, señaló hoy un grupo de expertos* en derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas. “Estamos seriamente preocupados por las acusaciones de uso excesivo e indiscriminado de la fuerza durante las protestas, así como por las detenciones arbitrarias y las muertes”, dijeron los expertos. “Tales actos constituirían graves violaciones de los derechos a la vida, a no ser privado arbitrariamente de la libertad, y a las libertades de reunión pacífica y de expresión”, añadieron. Cientos de personas también han resultado heridas y más de 850 han sido arrestadas en las protestas que comenzaron en 2015 en el contexto de la inestabilidad económica y social. Las manifestaciones se intensificaron luego de que el Tribunal Supremo de Justicia del país emitiera, el mes pasado, la decisión de asumir los poderes legislativos de la Asamblea Nacional controlada por la oposición. La decisión fue revertida posteriormente, pero las protestas continuaron. “En este momento la tensión política es elevada y la opinión pública está fuertemente dividida, pero en situaciones como ésta es cuando precisamente los gobiernos... Continue reading →
(español) GENEVA – The Government of Venezuela must facilitate peaceful protests and properly investigate the deaths of at least 25 people in recent demonstrations, say a group of United Nations human rights experts. “We are gravely concerned about allegations of excessive and indiscriminate use of force during the protests, as well as arbitrary detentions and killings,” the experts said. “Any such actions would constitute serious violations of the rights to life, not to be deprived arbitrarily of liberty, to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” they added. Hundreds of persons have also been injured and more than 850 people arrested in the protests, which began in 2015 against a backdrop of economic and social unrests. The demonstrations became more intense after a ruling last month by the country’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice that it could assume the legislative powers of the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The decision was later reversed, but the protests have continued. “Political tensions are high at the moment, and public opinion appears sharply divided, but this is precisely when governments should do most to protect people’s rights” the experts stressed. “The people of Venezuela need space for peaceful, constructive dialogue –... Continue reading →
This page summarizes cases raised with Venezuela by the Special Rapporteur between May 1, 2011, (when the Special Rapporteur took up his functions) and February 28, 2017 (the date of the last public release of communications). Communications are released to the public once per year. This page also contains observations on these communications and on responses received from Venezuela. Communications and observations are divided into sections based upon which observation report they originally appeared. Each communication is referenced as urgent appeal (UA), allegation letter (AL), joint urgent appeal (JUA) and joint allegation letter (JAL) - the hyperlinks lead to these documents. This is followed by the date the communication was issued, as well as the case number and the State reply (also hyperlinked if available). Summaries and communications are published only in the language of submission (in the case of Venezuela, Spanish). First Report (May 1, 2011 to March 15, 2012) None Second Report (March 16, 2012 to February 28, 2013) Joint urgent appeal, 23/03/2012. Case no. VEN 1/2012. State Reply: None to date. Supuestos actos de estigmatización e intimidación contra varias ONG y defensores de derechos humanos. Joint allegation letter, 16/05/2012. Case no. VEN 2/2012. State Reply: None to... Continue reading →
Issue No. 18 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 recently-completed mission to South Korea • Call for submissions for the UNSR’s next report: Exploring fundamentalism’s impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association • UNSR releases annual report recapping 2015 • UN experts urge review of UK surveillance bill threatening freedom of expression • Stop harassment of human rights defenders in occupied Palestinian Territory – UN experts • Alarms over Saudi Arabia’s growing clampdown on freedom of expression • Fundamental freedoms key to ensuring peaceful and fair elections in Venezuela • UN rights experts urge France to protect fundamental rights while countering terrorism • UN experts urge Ethiopia to halt crackdown on protesters, ensure accountability • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special Rapporteur news in brief: December 2015 - January 2016 • 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 (1.9MB file) or here (4.5MB full... Continue reading →
(English) GINEBRA – Dos expertos de las Naciones Unidas exhortaron hoy al Gobierno de Venezuela a garantizar la seguridad de todos los ciudadanos en el marco de las elecciones legislativas de este domingo, e instaron a remover urgentemente cualquier obstáculo a la participación pública pacífica. “Restituir plenamente el espacio para la libertad de expresión, reunión y asociación, así como asegurar la rendición de cuentas de los responsables por los incidentes de violencia, serán clave para aliviar las tensiones políticas en Venezuela, y para asegurar la gobernabilidad democrática del país”, dijeron los Relatores Especiales sobre la libertad de expresión, David Kaye, y sobre el derecho a la libertad de asociación, Maina Kiai. “Las autoridades deben garantizar la seguridad personal de todos aquéllos que aspiren a intercambiar ideas y opiniones en los días previos al proceso electoral”, dijeron los expertos, señalando el reciente asesinato del político de oposición Luis Manuel Díaz, durante un acto de campaña electoral en el estado Guárico. Además, se ha informado de otros atentados en distintos eventos pacíficos de naturaleza política y electoral, a tan sólo días de las votaciones del 6 de Diciembre. “El asesinato de Luis Manuel Díaz es una señal muy... Continue reading →
(Español) GENEVA – Two United Nations human rights experts today called on the Venezuelan Government to guarantee the security of all individuals ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, and to urgently remove all obstacles to peaceful public participation. “Reinstituting full space for the freedoms of expression, association and assembly, and ensuring accountability in all reports on violence is key to dissipating political tensions in Venezuela and to ensuring democratic governance,” said the Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, David Kaye, and on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai. “Authorities must ensure the safety of those trying to exchange ideas in the last days of the electoral process,” the experts said, recalling the recent killing of opposition politician Luis Manuel Díaz following a campaign rally in Guárico state. There have also been reports of attacks against other peaceful political events just days before the 6 December vote. “The killing of Luis Manuel Díaz is a very worrying sign of how the environment for political participation in Venezuela has deteriorated,” they warned. “A peaceful electoral process requires, at a bare minimum, that the Government guarantee the security of all – particularly at... Continue reading →
Issue No. 14 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: • Pull the plug on televised reprisals against rights defenders in Venezuela • ‘Cambodia’s NGO Bill threatens a free and independent civil society’ – UN expert urges Senate to reject it • Burundi: UN experts call for determined Security Council action to prevent mass violence • Bahrain: Freed from jail, all charges against Nabeel Rajab must be dropped • The clamp-down on resourcing: comparing how States regulate business and civil society • ‘Lawyers need to be protected not harassed,’ UN experts urge China to halt detentions • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special Rapporteur news in brief: July-August 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 (1.6MB file) or here (2.9MB 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. 2 (Issue 11)... Continue reading →
GENEVA / WASHINGTON, DC – A group of United Nations and Inter-American human rights experts, including Maina Kiai, deplored today the attempts to discredit and intimidate human rights defenders on Venezuela’s State-controlled television, in retaliation for their human rights activities and cooperation with UN and regional human rights bodies. “It’s high time to pull the plug on this shameful and televised harassment of rights activists in Venezuela,” the experts said. “We condemn what has become a clear pattern to intimidate and defame human rights defenders for merely promoting human rights in their country and for engaging with international and regional human rights bodies.” The experts drew attention to the systematic targeting of human rights defenders through the weekly TV programme ‘Con el Mazo Dando’, transmitted by the state network Venezolana de Televisión, including by publishing personal information on its website. The programme is hosted by the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, who goes on air to make accusations against rights activists and civil society organisations with an apparent aim to intimidate them. The experts recalled that the UN and Inter-American human rights bodies are charged to monitor Venezuela’s implementation of its... Continue reading →
• Indian police use water cannon to end gang-rape protest in Lucknow. (The Guardian) • As King Juan Carlos abdicates, anti-monarchy demonstrators take to the streets in Spain to demand a referendum on abolishing the monarchy. (RT.com) • Bring Back Our Girls demonstrations banned for “security reasons” in Abuja, Nigeria. Ban is “insane,” says protest group’s lawyer. (The Telegraph) • 13 demonstrators arrested in protest against Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, police (four days autopsy report revealed police had shot a homeless man in the back in March). “All we asked is to talk to the mayor,” said one protester, just before being handcuffed. (Albuquerque Journal) • British Colombia (Canada) students plan walkout to protests labor dispute between teachers and government. “We’re not taking sides,” says Grade 12 student leader. (Globe and Mail) • EU Neighborhood survey finds most of Europe’s neighbors don’t know what the term “civil society” means – but still think it can make a difference. (EU Neighborhood Info Centre) • Hungarian government raids three NGOs with ties to Norway. (Reuters) • And over the weekend, big clashes in Turkey over the one-year anniversary of the Gezi Park protests (Haaretz). Even a CNN reporter got roughed up a bit:... Continue reading →
