Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of assembly and association, warned That “the brutal suppression of the protest movement in universities poses a serious threat to democratic systems and institutions.”
Furthermore “it threatens to alienate an entire generationharming their participation and perception of their role in democratic processes, in addition to failing in the responsibility to prevent atrocities and contribute to peace.”
Showing solidarity
International solidarity movements in support of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, have increased since the start of the war in Gaza almost a year ago this month.
Mass demonstrations and protests, as well as occupations, encampments and other forms of peaceful gatherings, have taken place around the world, with many protests led by university students.
“After reviewing ongoing allegations and conversations with approximately 150 people from 30 countries, including students and faculty, I can conclude that the situation surrounding protests and international solidarity with the Palestinian people and victims within university settings, coupled with inadequate institutional responses, reveals a widespread hostile environment for the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association,” said Ms. Romero.
A growing global movement
Now that students have returned from the year-end holidays, peaceful rallies have resumed on campuses around the world, “rejoining the growing global movement to protect Palestinian rights and lives, and ahead of commemorative mobilizations by both Israeli and Palestinian solidarity groups in October.”
She made six recommendations to academic institutions, urging them to “recognize and respect the importance of meaningful and free involvement of young people and their valuable contributions to human rights, dignity, peace and justice, including through of their public freedoms”.
It is critical to “immediately end the stigmatization and hostilities that silence members of the academic community and discourage the exercise of their rights,” she continued.
Universities should also “actively facilitate and protect peaceful assemblies, including by prioritizing negotiations and mediation where appropriate, and refrain from calling on law enforcement agencies to disperse peaceful protests”.
Stop monitoring students
They must also refrain from and stop any form of surveillance and retaliation against students and staff for expressing their views or participating in peaceful gatherings.
Ms. Romero further called for ensuring transparent and independent investigations into human rights violations that occurred in the context of camps and other peaceful gatherings, and for the withdrawal of sanctions related to the exercise of fundamental freedoms. In this regard, the affected students and staff should also be provided with effective and full legal remedies.
Finally, academic institutions must ensure that their regulations are in line with international standards.
Shaping the future
The rights expert emphasized that universities and other educational institutions have an important “opportunity” to learn from the experiences of the university-based pro-Palestinian solidarity movement and repair the damage.
“They must recognize that their responsibility extends beyond campus boundaries – their actions have the potential to shape political discourse, culture, citizenship education and ultimately the future sustainability of democracy, freedoms and human rights,” she said.
“Respecting and guaranteeing dissent is essential to ensure that universities remain a space for free thinking, speech and academic freedomand to guarantee freedom of expression, assembly and association.”
About UN rapporteurs
Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are appointed by the UN Council for Human Rights to monitor and report specific country situations or thematic issues.
They are not UN staff, do not receive payment for their work and do not represent any government or organization.
