Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association: UN rights expert to visit Armenia

GENEVA (5 November 2018) – UN Special Rapporteur Clément Nyaletsossi Voule will visit Armenia from 7 to 16 November 2018 to assess the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.

"Armenia is going through a peaceful democratic transition; this has enormous potential to enhance the protection and promotion of all human rights, especially the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and consolidate the rule of law in order to capitalise on the enjoyment of democratic gains and economic development," the independent human rights expert said.

"This visit will provide me with an opportunity to examine issues concerning freedoms of peaceful assembly and association in Armenia, through first-hand information collected from the different actors concerned."

During his 10-day mission, Voule will visit Gyumri, Vanadzor, Vayk and Yerevan and will meet Government officials, representatives of the judiciary, legislature, media, civil society, as well as with the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia. He will also meet representatives of the diplomatic corps, United Nations system and other international organisations.

The Special Rapporteur will hold a news conference on 16 November at United Nations House, Petros Adamyan Street, 14 Yerevan, at 11:30 am. Access to the conference will be limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive report on his visit to the 41st session of the Human Rights Council in June 2019.

ENDS

Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, from Togo, was appointed as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association in March 2018. He is a legal expert and currently works in Geneva in the field of human rights. He is an associate researcher at the Geneva Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Prior to his appointment, he led the work of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). Mr. Voule also worked as Secretary General of the Togolese Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, as campaigning officer for the Coalition for the Togolese International Criminal Court and as Secretary General of the Amnesty International section in Togo. Since 2011, Mr. Voule has been an expert member of the Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights Violations of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

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 Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms 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.

UN Human Rights, Country Page - Armenia

For more information and media requests please contact:
Support to the mandate: Ms María Vivar Aguirre (+41 22 917 91 79 / + 41 79-221 8074 mvivaraguirre@ohchr.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact: Jeremy Laurence, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org) 

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948. The Universal Declaration – translated into a world record 500 languages – is rooted in the principle that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." It remains relevant to everyone, every day. In honour of the 70th anniversary of this extraordinarily influential document, and to prevent its vital principles from being eroded, we are urging people everywhere to Stand Up for Human Rights: www.standup4humanrights.org.