On July 17, 2020, the Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 44/20, on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests: “In addition to urging greater respect for the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and closely connected rights, the Resolution called on the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association to “prepare a dedicated report on the protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests during crisis situations,” and to take account, in the course of preparing the report, of “the views of States, the Office of the High Commissioner, relevant United Nations agencies, in particular, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations human rights treaty bodies, regional human rights mechanisms, other relevant special procedure mandate holders, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders, such as law enforcement practitioners’.”
The Special Rapporteur was responsible for soliciting and incorporating the views and insights of key stakeholders in this area.
In response, OLLAA submitted its official inputs requested by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the freedom of Assembly and Association. The inputs will be included in the report titled “Submission to 50th HRC Session Report.” In our inputs, OLLAA included the following:
- How illegal dentition of Oromo political prisoners has affected their rights to freedom of the Peaceful Assembly and Association.
- How Oromo political prisoners were detained in overcrowded facilities in total disregard to Covid-19 protocols and how such acts have negatively affected their rights to Association and other relevant human rights.
- How man-made disasters, including current hostilities taking place in Oromia and Tigray, have negatively affected the freedom to peaceful assembly and other relevant human rights.
- How the current economic crisis in Ethiopia has negatively impacted citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and other relevant human rights.
OLLAA is grateful to the Special Rapporteur and to the UN for undertaking this important work and looks forward to the inputs from other stakeholders.