New US laws attack right to protest
New legislation - including protecting drivers who run over demonstrators - 'at odds with human rights', says UN
More than 20 US states have proposed bills making protests and demonstrations more difficult in the months since President Donald Trump was elected.
Proposals include increased penalties for protesting in large groups, banning demonstrators from wearing masks and, in some states, protecting drivers who run over protesters.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) described the legislation as "an unprecedented level of hostility towards protesters in the 21st century."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
More than 30 such bills have been introduced "amid a huge increase in activism and engagement, much of it inspired by Trump's election to the presidency", says The Guardian.
The UN has now decided to intervene in response to claims from the ACLU and the National Lawyers Guild that some of the legislation is unconstitutional. It says the wave of bills are "incompatible with US obligations under international human rights law".
In a letter to the US State Department, David Kaye and Maina Kiai, from the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, listed specific pieces of legislation they said were "criminalising peaceful protests".
The bills represented "a worrying trend that could result in a detrimental impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression in the country", they said.
Many of the new laws were introduced in preparations for the building of the North Dakota Access oil pipeline, which was given the green light by Trump, provoking a wave of demonstrations.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
E. Jean Carroll seeks further damages from Trump over CNN remarks
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
E. Jean Carroll may sue Trump over 'foul' CNN remarks
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Judge: Grand jurors in Georgia Trump probe must tread lightly, but can discuss final report
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
4 Oath Keepers found guilty of seditious conspiracy
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Where is sex before marriage illegal?
feature Indonesia is the latest country to ban sex outside of wedlock
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
New law makes all South Koreans younger
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published