UK: Official follow-up visit by UN expert on freedoms of peaceful assembly and association

GENEVA (15 April 2016) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, will visit London from 18 to 21 April 2016 as a follow-up to his official visit* to the United Kingdom in 2013.

“This visit will give me an opportunity to follow-up on my recommendations and look at any good practices in relation to the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association developed by the authorities since my last visit, but also examine remaining challenges in this regard, and advise them how to overcome these,” Mr. Kiai said.

“I look forward to a renewed constructive dialogue with all the stakeholders I am due to meet,” the independent human rights expert noted.

The Special Rapporteur, who is visiting at the invitation of the UK Government, will stay in London where he is due to meet officials and members of Parliament, as well as representatives of independent institutions, including the national human rights commission, and of civil society.

The Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary findings and recommendations at a press conference on Thursday 21 April at 1 pm at the Foreign Press Association, Award House, 7-11 St Matthew Street SW1P 2JT, London. Access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists.

A comprehensive final report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2017.

(*) See the Special Rapporteur’s report on his 2013 visit to the UK: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session23/A-HRC-23-39-Add1_en.pdf; and the comments from the British Government to this report: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session23/A.HRC.23.39.Add.3_AV.pdf

ENDS

Mr. Maina Kiai (Kenya) took up his functions as the first Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in May 2011. The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-freedom-of-assembly-and-association

UN Human Rights, Country Page – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland

For more information and media requests, please contact Guillaume Pfeifflé (+41 79 221 8074 / gpfeiffle@ohchr.org).

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