Amnesty’s Guidelines on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly
Peaceful assemblies have been the driving force behind some of the most powerful social movements, exposing injustice and abuse, demanding accountability and inspiring people to keep hoping for a better future. The full enjoyment of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is intrinsically linked to other human rights that must also be respected and protected: The rights to freedom of expression and of association, the rights to privacy, life, liberty and security of person, and the rights to be free from arbitrary arrest and detention, from any forms of discrimination and from torture or other ill-treatment or punishment.
Unfortunately, these precious rights are under attack. Governments and others in power are constantly finding new ways to stifle protest and silence critical voices. Global trends towards militarisation of police, increased use of force by police at protests, and shrinking civic space mean that it is becoming increasingly difficult to stay safe while making your voice heard.
Many international institutions and mechanisms have worked towards strengthening the international human rights rules and standards that apply to these rights. For example General Comments by treaty monitoring bodies, reports of UN Charter-based bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council and its special procedure mandate holders, decisions by human rights courts, and thematic outputs by regional human rights bodies.
These guidelines provide a condensed overview of the key obligations that government authorities must fulfil to ensure they comply with their country’s international human rights obligations relating to the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and other related human rights.
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