About the #FreeToProtest campaign - make this your campaign!

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Our #FreeToProtest Campaign

Over the next four years, ARTICLE 19 will be campaigning to make protests safe for everyone by reforming laws and challenging behaviour by the police and the media.

The brand new #FreeToProtest campaign aims to end stigma and differential practises against protesters.

We will create an environment where protesters, in particular those who are most discriminated against and at risk of marginalisation, are able to exercise their right to protests without fear.

#FreeToProtest - make this your campaign

In July 2022, to mark Saba Saba Day, an annual reminder of Kenya’s long and proud history of protest, Article 19 East Africa launched their #FreeToProtest campaign briefing and executive summary. The campaign briefings gives a summary of recommendations 'to ensure safeguarding of the right to
protest in Kenya.'

READ FULL KENYA PROTEST BRIEFING

KENYA: Restricting the right to be heard

Kenya: Restricting the right to be heard is one of a series of research reports from our #FreeToProtest global campaign, which seeks to protect and advance people’s right to protest, in line with ARTICLE 19’s Principles on the protection of human rights in protests.

READ KENYA PROTEST REPORT

THAILAND: Denying the demand for democracy

Our Thai report examines how, since the beginning of 2020, youth-led pro-democracy protests have sprung up across Thailand – only to be met with varying degrees of control and suppression on the part of the Thai authorities, including discriminatory practices.

READ THAILAND PROTEST REPORT

UNITED STATES: When leaders let us down

The right to protest continues to come under sustained attack across the United States, reveals our new analysis.

In our US report, we look into how lawmakers seek to repress our historic right to protest. From Standing Rock and #BlackLivesMatter to recent reproductive rights activists protesting across the country, we show how at least 253 pieces of legislation are designed to target protests led by people who already face discrimination in US society.

READ U.S. REPORT

"My observation is that the right to protest is being violated for communities such as ours; the police are extremely hostile. From 2019, we started ‘Walk for Our Lives’ [protests against extrajudicial executions]. The police were hostile and frustrated us. Whenever we presented our notification for a demonstration, the police refused to accept and gave no reason for rejection. Instead, they referred us to higher authorities like the OCPD and others, yet the law requires the OCS to be the one to receive the notification."

- ‘Mwangi’, leader of a social justice centre .

Boundaries of Expression podcast #FreeToProtest: Climate action

Boundaries of Expression #FreeToProtest series: Episode 2

In the second episode of our series on the right to protest, we focus on women taking to the streets to protect their rights, in both Iran and Poland.

Over the past two years, there has been an alarming retreat from the defence of women’s reproductive rights. Poland introduced a near total ban on abortion in 2020. In the US, the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade last summer, ending the constitutional right to abortion after nearly 50 years.

We hear from Maziar Bahari, founder of IranWire - the first outlet to break the story of Mahsa Amini’s death. We also speak to Marta Lempart, founder of the Polish Women’s Strike.

Learn more