The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are enshrined in:
Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes :
- (1) that everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and
- (2) that no one can be forced to belong to an association.
and in Articles 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
- Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects your right to assemble peacefully.
- Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects your right to associate with others. You also have the right to form and join labour unions. This article doesn’t give States Parties to the International Labour Organisation Convention of 1948 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize any authority to undermine in any way the guarantees provided for in said Convention.
The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are essential components of democracy, providing individuals with invaluable opportunities to, inter alia, express their political opinions, engage in literary and artistic pursuits and other cultural, economic and social activities, engage in religious observances or other beliefs, form and join trade unions and cooperatives, and elect leaders to represent their interests and hold them accountable.”
Human Rights Council Res. 15/21