Background

From 8 to 17 May 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of assembly and of association, Clément Nyaletsossi VOULE, will conduct a country visit to Peru to assess the situation and the compliance with the rights to freedom of assembly and of association, including the legal and policy framework in place, and the progresses, challenges, and opportunities for the promotion of these rights. The Special Rapporteur will pay particular attention to the protests that took place in December 2022, to their causes and consequences, as well as any related issues regarding accountability and the use of force.

Specifically, the Special Rapporteur will also pay attention to several issues, such as:
i) procedural and practical measures for holding peaceful assemblies/protests; ii) the facilitation of peaceful assemblies by law enforcement officials; iii) challenges with the current legal and policy framework; iv) human rights monitoring during peaceful assemblies; v) the situation of labour unions; vi) the situation of political parties; the situation of at-risk and marginalized groups when exercising such rights - including children and youth, indigenous peoples, women and girls, and LGBTI+ persons; vii) the impact of counter-terrorism measures on the enjoyments on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; among others.

The Special Rapporteur will hold discussions with government officials, civil society actors, journalists, lawyers and bar associations, academics, trade unions, and any other relevant stakeholders.

Objectives

At the end of his visit, Mr. Clément Voule will present an end-of-mission statement which includes preliminary conclusions and recommendations for the State and non-State actors to implement. The full mission report will be presented at the Human Rights Council’s (HRC) 56th session in June 2024.

Key questions and types of input sought

Thus, civil society actors and all interested stakeholders are encouraged to submit general inputs and specific proposals with regards to:

• The protests that took place in December 2022, their causes and impacts
• Good practices in relation to the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
• Challenges and shortcomings when exercising the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
• Issues concerning the existing legal and policy framework
• Potential areas to visit in the country, including outside of Lima
• Relevant organizations and individuals to meet in the context of the Special Rapporteur’s visit to Peru.
• Most urgent issues, affecting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, to discuss or seek clarification from the government.

 How and where to submit inputs

Please note that you do not need to answer all the questions above, but you can focus on the ones relevant to you. If you reply after the deadline, your submission will not be considered during the country visit but will be considered for the Special Rapporteur’s report before the Human Rights Council in 2024. We encourage you to share this call for submissions with your network of relevant contacts, and do not hesitate to contact us in case of any queries.

Treatment of inputs received

Submission will be considered during the country visit and will be taken into account for the Special Rapporteur’s report before the Human Rights Council in 2024.