After the assembly observation mission

This section covers the period after the members of the assembly observation mission have left the country in which the assembly took place.

Follow-up documentation

Members of the assembly observation mission should maintain contacts with the assembly organizers to gather relevant facts that occurred in the days after the conclusion of the mission, in cooperation with the FIDH Asia Desk and/or the member/partner organization(s) on the ground. For example, assembly organizers or participants may have faced harassment, arrest, or legal action in the days and weeks after the assembly. Such developments should be documented in the assembly observation report [See below, Assembly observation report].

Assembly observation report

Each member of the assembly observation mission is required to submit to the spokesperson/media liaison a detailed assembly observation report, no later than seven days after the conclusion of the mission. Each report should detail the different aspects of the assembly, using the assembly observation template [See, During the observation mission / What to observe and document during an assembly]. It should be factual and neutral in reporting the observations and should include first-hand accounts of what the observers witnessed and heard. Relevant audiovisual material should be explained and contextualized. If second-hand information is used, this should be clearly distinguished in the report. If any follow-up documentation information [See, Follow-up documentation] is available, this should be incorporated into the assembly observation report. The report should make specific recommendations.

The spokesperson/media liaison is responsible for collating information contained in the reports of all members of the assembly observation mission and the drafting of the final report. The final report will be finalized in close cooperation with the FIDH Asia Desk and the member/partner organization(s) on the ground. While the FIDH Asia Desk will provide technical assistance for the observation report, the report will be produced independently by the assembly observation mission members. The authors’ names, including the members of the AAON who conducted the mission should remain anonymous.

The final report should be published no later than three weeks after the conclusion of the assembly observation mission. It should be published on the FIDH webpage dedicated to the AAON and used for subsequent advocacy activities [See below, Advocacy activities].

Guidelines for the drafting of the assembly observation report

• The report should detail various aspects pertaining to the assembly, using the checklist provided in the assembly observation template [See above, What to observe and document during an assembly].
• It must be based on facts and the first-hand accounts of what the observers witnessed.
• Relevant audiovisual material should be explained and contextualized. If second-hand information is used, this should be clearly distinguished in the report.
• If any follow-up documentation information [See above, Follow-up documentation] is available, this should be incorporated into the assembly observation report.
• The report should make specific recommendations.

Suggested structure for the assembly observation report

1. General Information about the assembly and the observers
   • Date, size, duration, objective(s)/demands, organizers of the assembly observed.
   • Number of observersdeployed and their location.
2. Background: Compliance of the domestic legal framework with international standards
   • • Non-discrimination (g- prohibition on certain categories of participants).
     • Notification regime and whether organizers complied with such requirements.
     • Other legal restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly.
3. Conduct of the assembly organizers and participants
4. Presence and conduct of counter-demonstrators/non-state actors
5. Violations of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly
   5. 1 Restrictions
      • Restrictions on expressive content of the assembly
      • Restrictions on modalities of the assembly
      • Restrictions on time and place of the assembly
   5. 2 Law enforcement
      • Deployment and conduct of law enforcement (type of units; size; types of weapons)
      • Use of force
      • Surveillance and harassment
      • Dispersal
      • Detention and arrests
6. Assembly observers (restrictions and/or attacks on observers/ journalists by state or non-state actors)
7. Sanctions of organizers and/or participants of the assembly
8. Follow-up documentation (if applicable)
   • Recommendations

De-briefing and experience sharing with fellow AAON members

Within a month from the end of the assembly observation mission, the FIDH Asia Desk should organize and convene an online information session with all the members of the AAON. This session will enable members of the assembly observation mission to share their experience with fellow members of the AAON. The members of the observation mission may also make recommendations to improve internal protocols, procedures, and best practices of the AAON. Recommendations by the members of the AAON will be reviewed and incorporated into the workings of the AAON by the FIDH Asia Desk to ensure that any difficulties faced by members of the assembly observation mission are addressed which will in effect improve future observation missions.

Advocacy activities

The members of the observation mission, the FIDH Asia Desk, and the member/partner organization(s) may conduct advocacy activities at the national, regional, or international level based on the findings of the observation reports. This may include: in-country diplomatic briefings; meetings with national institutions (including government representatives; National Human Rights Institutions; and members of Parliament); submissions to UN human rights monitoring mechanisms (UN special procedures, treaty bodies); side-events at the Human Rights Council; and regional forums.