Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

July 14, 2016

United Nations probing freedom of assembly in United States



Photo Baton Rouge, La. July 2016
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
Update: UN Rapporteur adds Baton Rouge to visits:
https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/un-human-rights-expert-visit-baton-rouge-ferguson-and-convention-host-cities
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The United Nations' Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai is in the US to probe the right of peaceful assembly. The UN says it will meet with "civil society actors" (no kidding) in Phoenix, Ferguson, New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi, Baltimore, and other locations.

Does reporting violations to the UN really make a difference? 
Dineh at Big Mountain say they have been waiting 40 years for the UN to do something. Western Shoshone members said after a UN CERD (racial discrimination) ruling in their favor, it made no difference on the ground in a practical way.
Censored News would like to hear your thoughts. Does the UN result in any good for grassroots people, or communities.
Does testimony to the UN make a difference?
Write us, or comment below.
brendanorrell@gmail.com
way.http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx…

Freedoms of assembly and association: UN expert announces first official visit to the USA
WASHINGTON / GENEVA (7 July 2016) – United Nations Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai will visit the United States of America from 11 to 27 July 2016 to make an in-depth assessment on the extent to which the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are enjoyed in the country. 
Mr. Kiai’s visit will be the first information-gathering mission to the United States by an independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and promote the realization of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association worldwide.

“The United States was the main driving force behind the establishment of my mandate in 2010, and its recent renewal for another period of three years,” the expert noted.

“This visit will give me an unique opportunity to gather first-hand information on any good practices developed at the federal and state level in relation to the exercise of the rights falling under my mandate, but also to examine existing challenges in this regard, and advise the authorities how to overcome these”, he said.
During his sixteen-day visit, at the invitation of the Government, the Special Rapporteur will travel to Washington DC; New York, NY; Baltimore, MD; Ferguson, MO; Cleveland, OH; Phoenix, AZ; New Orleans, LA; Jackson, MS; and Philadelphia, PA, where he will meet with a wide range of officials, as well as with civil society actors.
The Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary findings and recommendations at a press conference on Wednesday 27 July at 11:00 am at the United Nations Information Center, 1775 K St NW #400, Washington. Access to the press conference will be limited to journalists. RSVPs are required to access the building. For media queries, please contact Ms. Karen Smyth (+ 1 202 454 2106 / cell: +1 301 351 0025 / smythk@un.org).
A final report of this visit will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2017.
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. He is appointed in his personal capacity as an independent expert by the UN Human Rights Council. Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/AssemblyAssociation/Pages/SRFreedomAssemblyAssociationIndex.aspx
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 – United States:  http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/LACRegion/Pages/USIndex.aspx
For inquiries and media requests, please contact:
In Washington (during the visit, and for RSVPs for the Press Conference): Deborah Deyoung (deyoung@un.org / +1 202 331 8670)
In Geneva (before and after the visit):  Mr. Guillaume Pfeifflé (+41 22 917 9384 / gpfeiffle@ohchr.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)

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- See more at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20245&LangID=E#sthash.NY9bzCck.dpuf

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