One of the most common ways that countries restrict assemblies is to enact laws that require organizers and participants to receive permission from the government authorities in advance of holding the assembly.

This set of “general principles,” issued by UN Special Rapporteur Kiai and the Community of Democracies, summarizes key aspects of civil society’s right to seek, receive and use resources.

Beginning on February 12, 2014, thousands of people across Venezuela participated in marches and public demonstrations to protest the policies of the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Mail & Guardian article by Jane Duncan describes how local authorities in South Africa manipulate the Regulation of Gatherings Act, which makes it difficult for protesters to assemble lawfully.

The Internet has radically transformed the way we access information and communicate – creating new opportunities for strengthening democracy.

In recent years many governments have responded to people’s assertions of peaceful dissent by violently clamping down on peaceful protests and other forms of assembly, unduly restricting the ability of associations to form and operate, and physically assaulting civil society actors.

As a concept, “inclusive development” permeates all of the commitments made in the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation document (BPa).

This 2014 report from Article 19 gives an overview of implementation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in Brazil, with a focus on the lead-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

This report to the Human Rights Council by Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, discusses the protection of the right to life during law enforcement and makes the case for the need for a concerted effort to bring domestic laws on the use of (especially lethal) force by the police in line with the international standards.

After seeing its reach increase for decades, international support for democracy and human rights faces a serious challenge: more and more governments are erecting legal and logistical barriers to democracy and rights programs, publicly vilifying international aid groups and their local partners, and harassing such groups or expelling them altogether.