III. Freedom of Assembly of Human Rights Defenders Challenges and obstacles to the free exercise of the freedom of assembly included violent dispersal of assemblies, denial of permission to assemble, lack of sufficient police protection for demonstrators, dispersal despite official permission, and the dispersal of meetings in privately owned premises.84 The following examples set out key circumstances and challenges that have been affecting human rights defenders. 1. Violent dispersal of assemblies. Assemblies organized by defenders are often violently dispersed. An assembly commemorating the death of a prominent human rights defender was violently broken up by police, resulting in several arrests and one defender being wounded.85 During the trial of two journalists, five NGO activists were standing outside a courtroom peacefully making statements in support of the accused. They were detained by court guards, two of them being injured in the process, and charged with “disrupting court proceedings” and sentenced to 30 days’ administrative detention.86 In another case, a defender of media freedom was brutally beaten by plain-clothes police during a rally in favour of an opposition newspaper.87 During an assembly protesting the forcible removal of illegal immigrants, two demonstrators were hit by police and others were dragged along the ground.88 84 A methodology on monitoring human rights defenders’ right to freedom of assembly was developed by Ms. Hina Jilani, UN SRSG on Human Rights Defenders. See Report of the UN SRSG on Human Rights Defenders, A/61/312, 5 September 2006, <http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?m=70>. 85 Case of the memorial for Anna Politkovskaya, FIDH/OMCT, op. cit., note 19, p. 483. 86 Case of Irakli Kakabadze, Zurab Rtveliashvili, Lasha Chkhartishvili, Jaba Jishkariani and Davit Dalakishvili (Georgia), HRW, “World Report 2007”, p. 391. The Government of Georgia maintains that those concerned had disrupted court proceedings and had been disrespectful to the judges. 87 Case of Emin Huseynov (Azerbaijan), FIDH/OMCT, op. cit., note 19, pp. 483, 504. The Government of Azerbaijan maintains that, in the course of the criminal investigation, Mr. Huseynov had denied being mistreated. 88 Case of the Brussels demonstration of Coordination et initiatives pour et avec les réfugiés étrangers (CIRE) (Belgium), FIDH/OMCT, op. cit., note 19, p. 511. 21