(Photo: Kristian Carneiro Orberg/Flickr)
GENEVA (25 March 2022) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, will conduct an official visit to Brazil from 28 March to 8 April 2022.
Voule will focus on the facilitation and management of peaceful assembly by law enforcement officials, with a particular emphasis on the use of force during protests organised by social movements and indigenous peoples.
One objective of the visit will be to assess procedural and practical measures for holding peaceful assemblies, including issues of authorization versus notification.
The expert will also observe the management of assemblies by law enforcement officials and assess internal and external oversight mechanisms available to address cases of excessive use of force by these officials.
He will also assess developments regarding political campaign and freedom of association ahead of the elections, the right to participation in public affairs and the situation of trade unions and vulnerable groups in Brazil when exercising their right to freedom of association.
The Special Rapporteur will assess the legal framework in which operate civil society and emerging trends observed in recent years including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Voule will meet government officials, members of the security service and armed forces, members of the legislature and the judiciary, UN agencies, diplomats, amongst others. He will also meet representatives of civil society organizations, trade unions, climate activists, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Voule will travel to Brasilia, Salvador de Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
He will present his preliminary observations at a virtual press conference in Sao Paulo on 8 April at 2 pm local time. Interested journalists should register in advance at unic.brazil@unic.org until 7 April at 16h. Upon registration a link will be sent to those registered.
The Special Rapporteur will submit a comprehensive report to the UN Human Rights Council, including his findings and recommendations, in June 2023.
ENDS
Follow news related to the UNSR Clément Voule on Twitter: @cvoule
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