A/HRC/38/34
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
26 July 2018
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Thirty-eighth session
18 June−6 July 2018
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of
peaceful assembly and of association*
Note by the Secretariat
The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of
the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association,
prepared pursuant to Council resolutions 15/21 and 32/32.
The Special Rapporteur provides an overview in section II of the activities he carried
out during the first months of his mandate.
In section III, the Special Rapporteur lists the following global trends identified in
the different regions with regard to the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful
assembly and of association: (a) the use of legislation to suppress the legitimate exercise of
freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; (b) the criminalization of, and
indiscriminate and excessive use of force to counter or repress, peaceful protest; (c) the
repression of social movements; (d) the stigmatization of, and attacks against, civil society
actors; (e) restrictions targeting particular groups; (f) limitations on rights during electoral
periods; (g) the negative impact of rising populism and extremism; and (h) obstructions
encountered in the digital space.
The Special Rapporteur outlines his conclusions and recommendations in
section IV.
* The present report was submitted after the deadline so as to include the most recent information.
GE.18-12381(E)