Metropolitan Model United Nations Conference XLII United Nations Human Rights Council

Rights of Nonviolent Protestors

The United Nations defines the principle of nonviolence as rejecting the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change. Non-violent protest falls into three main categories, including, 1) protest and persuasion, 2) non-cooperation, and 3) nonviolent intervention. A main belief in the theory of nonviolence is that power is dependent upon the consent of the governed, and therefore nonviolence seeks to undermine unjust power through withdrawal of the consent and cooperation of the populace. Nonviolent protests have remained a major part in political life throughout history. There have been many cases where protestors have demanded social and political reforms and protested the mistreatment by their authorities. In recent years, however, the number of such movements has increased, and has shown success in advancing the cause of human rights and reforming repressive regimes. In the twentieth century, nonviolence became more of a deliberate tool for social change. The United Nations has gotten involved in the topic of the rights of nonviolent protesters and demonstrations. In Article 5 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights Defenders, it is stated that the right to form a peaceful assembly is valid for all, as long as the assembly is to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. Also, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in Article 20, it states that all humans have the right to form a peaceful assembly. This document was Figure 1. A group of protestors in Egypt drafted in 1948 by Dr. Charles Malik (Lebanon), Alexandre Bogomolov (USSR), Dr. Peng-chun Chang (China), Ren Cassin (France), Eleanor Roosevelt (US), Charles Dukes (United Kingdom), William Hodgson (Australia), Hernan Santa Cruz (Chile) and John P. Humphrey (Canada). An example of how human rights have advanced through nonviolent action involves campaigns to reform discriminatory laws, as was done in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Through the use of nonviolent actions, campaigns have been successful in reforming laws in certain countries, such as in the United States. The citizens of the United States have the right to nonviolent protests and demonstrations, but these rights are denied to the citizens of other nations, including Middle Eastern countries. Although, the right to protest is not found in any of the United Nations Human Rights documents, it derives from other rights such as that of the freedom of expression and opinion. In countries such as Egypt and Israel, nonviolent protestors have been met with much resistance despite their peaceful intentions. For example, in Egypt on January 25,

2011, demonstrators gathered peacefully in Cairo to speak out against poverty, repression, government corruption, and police brutality and in early February, hundreds of thousands celebrated in the streets when Hosni Mubarak stepped down from the Egyptian presidency. However, the protestors in the Arab Spring had been subjected to a government crackdown in which many were killed and injured. As the protestors began to use social media to communicate with one another, the Egyptian government retaliated by severing most of the Internet connections as well as shutting down cellular networks. Violence erupted when the state tried to hold down the growing unrest of the people, using indiscriminate force against protest crowds. This lead to clashes between police and civilians and resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. The International Day of Nonviolence is observed annually on October 2nd. Gandhi, who helped lead India to independence, has been the inspiration for non-violent movements for civil rights and social change across the world, and he played a big part in having this day marked as am international observance. Questions to Consider: What are the conditions like in your nation regarding this issue? What are some suggestions that would be helpful in decreasing the violence in protest? How should the governments be urged to follow treaties and declarations? How can the UNHRC ensure that people have a right to safe and nonviolent protest? What can be done in situations where a nation has banned all protests and is not accepting any resolution from the UNHRC? Are protests common in your country?

Sources: http://www.nmun.org/ny_archives/ny12_downloads/ga/HRC.pdf http://electronicintifada.net/content/israels-criminalization-nonviolent-protest/5478 http://www.aforcemorepowerful.org/resources/nonviolent/faq.php http://mehr.org/nva_hr.htm http://www.un.org/en/events/nonviolenceday/background.shtml

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