New guidelines issued by Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention, call for stronger protection of environmental defenders amid growing harassment, criminalisation and restrictions on protest. The guidelines rest on three central principles: states’ duty to protect peaceful assembly, proportionality in policing and penalties, and recognition that environmental protest is connected to the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. They warn against vague legislation on disruption, public nuisance or terrorism, as well as pre-emptive arrests, invasive surveillance and disproportionate punishment for non-violent direct action. The guidelines clarify that protests do not lose their peaceful and protected status merely because they cause temporary disruption or involve civil disobedience, including road blockades, sit-ins and non-violent actions at industrial sites. Although developed specifically for environmental defenders, their core protections apply to all peaceful protesters, including human rights defenders, trade unions and social movements. Businesses are urged to stop harassing defenders and using abusive litigation, while courts and prosecutors should dismiss SLAPPs at an early stage and ensure that any restrictions or penalties remain proportionate. Read more here.
Source: UN Today
