OSCE/ODIHR Director calls on Spanish authorities to ensure respect for freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression

WARSAW, 2 October 2017 - Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), called on the Spanish authorities to ensure respect for fundamental freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression. Her call came after reports of the dispersal by force of protests and assemblies by Spanish police trying to prevent the holding of a referendum in Catalonia that had been suspended by Spain’s Constitutional Court.

“All OSCE participating States have committed to ensure that any measures taken by law-enforcement agencies in the course of their duties respect fundamental rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. The Spanish authorities must ensure that police use force only when necessary and in strict adherence to the principle of proportionality,” Gisladottir said. “This also means facilitating peaceful assemblies and relying on communication and de-escalation measures to reduce tensions.”