Free and fair elections: why freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and right to association matter
Side-Event during the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council
Free and fair elections: why freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and right to association matter
Discussing the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, and UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, presented at the HRC-59
DATE: 20 JUNE 2025 / TIME: 12.00-13.00
LOCATION: Room XXVII - Palais des Nations, GENEVA
Co-sponsoring States: Permanent Missions of the Czech Republic, European Union and the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Co-sponsoring non-governmental organizations: CIVICUS, Human Rights House Foundation, ICNL, ECNL, Forum Asia, Gulf Center for Human Rights, Article 19
OBJECTIVE
The side event will focus on key global threats and challenges to the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association in the context of elections. It will provide an opportunity for States, civil society and international organizations to discuss legal and policy reforms and advocacy strategies to push back against the erosion of these rights and strengthen public participation and electoral integrity.
BACKGROUND
The rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are inter-dependent and important prerequisites for guaranteeing free, fair and credible elections and ensuring open, inclusive political dialogue and public participation of all citizens.
On 18 June 2025, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan will present to the 59th session of the Human Rights Council their thematic reports on elections.
Both reports analyze the lessons learnt from the 2023 –2025 “super electoral cycle” during which more than half of the world’s voting age population living in over 50 countries went to the polls to choose their representatives in local, national and regional elections. The reports note that elections occurred amidst trends of rising authoritarianism, backsliding of democracies and attacks on human rights. The widespread suppression of the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and the right to association undermined the right of all citizens to participate in public affairs, including their right to vote or be elected, and in many cases affected public trust in the electoral process and its outcomes, leading to violence.
The report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to association highlights:
- widespread and increased restrictions and repression of civic freedoms and political participation, often, within a broader strategy to restrict civic space and stifle democratic debate.
- undue restrictions, abuse and political persecution of opposition party leaders, members and activists in many countries, including arbitrary arrests, disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, and extrajudicial killings, before and after elections, as well as burdensome registration requirements, unjustified bans and unlawful dissolution of opposition parties and independent candidates.
- widespread protests and mobilizations globally, before and after elections, often to defend election rights, transparency and accountability, or to push back against shrinking of democratic spaces and the lack of governmental accountability. Rather than addressing these legitimate concerns, the authorities and/or newly elected Governments responded by curtailing peaceful assemblies through administrative restrictions, arbitrary arrests of protesters and opposition leaders, and heavy repression.
- use of surveillance technology and digital repression tactics to target activists and political opponents, including the use of facial recognition technology and remote biometric technologies in publicly accessible spaces, causing severe and deep chilling effect on political and democratic participation.
The report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression focuses on:
- Alarming levels of information manipulation and divisive political rhetoric by populist politicians in office or seeking election, vilifying, attacking, intimidating and deterring the participation of women, minorities and marginalized groups, discrediting and seeking to silence the media and other critical voices, delegitimizing electoral processes and outcomes and destroying public trust in elections.
- Increased use of social media, messaging apps and influencers as vectors of electoral communications, expanding political engagement of some constituencies while amplifying disinformation and hate speech that deter others from public participation.
- Rolling back of major digital platforms on human rights due diligence, content moderation and safety measures, increasing the risks of information manipulation and harmful speech during elections, deepening political polarization, discord and distrust among citizens and endangering the cohesion of democratic societies.
- Attacks on journalists and the decline of media independence, diversity and pluralism, diminishing their role as watchdogs and weakening their ability to debunk false information.
- Unlawful restrictions by States of political expression or access to information, including internet shutdowns, blocks on websites, pressure on platforms to remove content, attacks on independent media and fact checkers, and criminalization of legitimate speech under the guise of fighting disinformation, terrorism or cybercrimes.
Both reports make concrete recommendations, based on good practices and international standards, calling on States, companies, political parties and other stakeholders to uphold the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association to ensure the equal participation of all citizens and the integrity of elections.
PROGRAMME
Free and fair elections: why freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and right to association matter
DATE: 20 JUNE 2025 / TIME: 12.00-13.00
LOCATION: Room XXVII - Palais des Nations, GENEVA
Co-sponsoring States: Permanent Missions of the Czech Republic, European Union and the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Co-sponsoring non-governmental organizations: CIVICUS, Human Rights House Foundation, ICNL, ECNL, Forum Asia, Gulf Center for Human Rights, Article 19
Moderation: H.E. Mr. Paul Bekkers, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- Opening remarks: H.E. Mr. Václav Bálek, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic. (4 min)
- Presentation of report findings and key recommendations: Ms Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom opinion and expression (10 min)
- Presentation of report findings and key recommendations: Ms Gina Romero, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (10 min)
- Interactive dialogue with the participants (30 min)
- Closing remarks: H.E. Mr. Michele Cervone d'Urso, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. and Deputy Permanent Representative of the European Union (4 min)
The side-event will be in English.