Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. The right of peaceful assembly includes the right to hold meetings, sit-ins, strikes, rallies, events or protests, both offline and online. It serves as a vehicle for the exercise of many other rights guaranteed under international law, with which it is linked intrinsically and that form the basis for participating in peaceful protests. In particular this concerns the rights to freedom of expression and to take part in the conduct of public affairs.
OHCHR’s work on the right of peaceful assembly
OHCHR has a mandate to promote and protect the right of peaceful assembly.
This means:
- Monitoring, reporting and conducting advocacy regarding measures taken for the management of protests, including examining the impact of use of force and human rights violations in State responses;
- Working on early warning and prevention of violations of the right and regarding economic, social and cultural rights underlying protests;
- Engaging in dialogue with Governments and civil society, including protestors and law enforcement officials, and providing technical assistance to:
- Seek to prevent and address the human rights violations occurred in the context of protests and ensure accountability; and
- Encourage national authorities to address the root causes of protests, for example by encouraging dialogue and enhancing a participatory approach to decision-making.
- In some countries, OHCHR has also been involved in protection, including by its presence, at demonstrations or by following up on cases of individuals arrested in relation to protests, detained and sometimes ill-treated.