Recalling further the jurisprudence of the Commission pertaining to the rights to freedom of
association and assembly;
Recalling further the Guidelines for the Policing of Assemblies by Law Enforcement Officials in
Africa;
Noting that the rights to freedom of association and assembly are fundamental and protected at
the national, regional and international levels;
Acknowledging the major differences between states in terms of legal systems, socio-economic
conditions, and political and historic influences on the legal regimes governing association and
assembly;
Having regard to various political, technological and security developments impacting on the
enjoyment of the rights;
Concerned by excessive restrictions imposed on the rights to freedom of association and
assembly;
Concerned also by the practice in some states of hampering the participation of civil society in
the work of regional and international bodies and by the ‘chilling effect’ of reprisals on civil
society actors, and stressing the obligation on states to provide full protection to those who seek
to participate in the work of international bodies;
Concerned further that restrictions on the rights to freedom of association and assembly limit the
potential for a free public sphere and a free and open democratic society, and that restrictions on
an independent civil society hinder the operations of human rights defenders and the
advancement of human rights;
Conscious of the need to provide guidance to states on the measures necessary in order to ensure
respect for and the protection and fulfillment of human rights;
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights solemnly adopts these Guidelines on
Freedom of Association and Assembly in Africa.