• International law

International law

Since the September 2001 attacks, many states in the Mediterranean region have been implementing repressive strategies aimed at restricting freedom of association, of assembly and of expression. Human rights violations and denials of justice are common practice along with multiple types of harassment, intimidation, abductions, and violence towards all demonstrations of protest and dissidence. This report focuses specifically on NGOs active in the field and hopes to provide them with a tool to help them in their work in human rights areas.

The publication includes an overview of the situation and eleven country reports which focus on the legal and political dimensions of freedom of association as well as on the rules, the regulations and the practices implemented by the authorities and civil society organisations in those countries. These are: Algeria, Egypt, the EU Mediterranean states, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

Recommendations to the government and authorities of the 11 countries South and East of the
Mediterranean include:

• ensure that the establishment of associations does not require government authorisation, and reserve to the judiciary exclusive power to dissolve an association 
  
• allow judges to create or participate in associations and encourage wider access to women both at the regulatory level and in practice 
  
• give associations the right to benefit from foreign funding.

Recommendations to the EU’s decision-making organs include:

• publicly denounce repressive measures taken by governments of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) against human rights defenders and give urgent priority to freedom of association in political and diplomatic discussions 
  
• carry out advocacy activities in favour of human rights defenders and provide logistical support through training and capacity-building.
  

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