Freedom of Assembly and Association
What is freedom of assembly and association?
The right to freedom of assembly and association, which is protected by law in Scotland, guarantees that people can join with others to collectively express, promote, pursue and defend their interests.
This right enables people to express their political opinions, join trade unions, engage in religious observances, engage in artistic pursuits, and elect their representatives and hold them accountable.
The right to freedom of assembly and association, which is protected by law in Scotland, guarantees that people can join with others to collectively express, promote, pursue and defend their interests.
Our work in this area
- In September 2021 we submitted a joint statement on peaceful protest to the UN Human Rights Council along with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
- In September 2021 we wrote to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (the SPCB), expressing concern that the SPCB’s decision to alter the status of the Scottish Parliament building and its grounds interferes with the rights to peaceful assembly and association.
- Read our letter
- Read the SPCB response
- Read our follow up letter from November 2021
- In May 2021 we published our submission in response to a call for inputs from the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly This focused on the role of rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association in climate justice.
- In September 2020 we published The Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly: Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) paper for the Independent Advisory Group on Police Scotland’s Use of Temporary Powers, as part of the Commission’s work on human rights in the context of COVID-19.
