Challenges to the fundamental right to monitor assemblies in focus at ODIHR event

A new report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the right to monitor assemblies was discussed during a side event at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference this week.

“The right to monitor assemblies is a vital aspect of the human right to share and receive information,” said Anete Erdmane, a human rights adviser and monitoring and response coordinator at ODIHR who worked on the report. “This is increasingly recognized, as it ensures that the right to peaceful assemblies is respected and that law enforcement and state authorities remain transparent and accountable for all their actions.”

Discussions focused on ODIHR’s new report, based on interviews with assembly monitors from 16 OSCE countries. Participants also debated about existing legislative and policy initiatives and particularly about the challenges that monitors face, including denial of access by law enforcement officials, the use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force, and the harassment and detention of monitors.

“Independent observers ensure respect for the freedom of peaceful assembly and provide the public with independent information about the conduct of demonstrations. Their role is essential in any democracy, and in the face of threats to the rule of law, their work needs to be protected now more than ever,” said Mathilde Nilsson, a French legal observer from the Ligue des droits de l’Homme.

The event helped to raise awareness of the right to monitor assemblies as an essential element of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, as well as provide recommendations to OSCE participating States on how to ensure respect for this right in line with international human rights standards.