Part of the panel discussion focused on the freedom of peaceful assembly and association, with insights from @Ginitastar. She highlighted that the core responsibility of states regarding these rights is not only to refrain from interference but also to actively protect them. However, she noted that national disparities in the interpretation and protection of these rights, along with inconsistencies across regional and global protection mechanisms, undermine both state obligations and the enjoyment of the rights themselves, including the principles of universality. Some governments adopt strict or narrow interpretations of these rights, resulting in situations where people in certain countries enjoy the freedom of assembly and association more fully than those in others. She also observed that restrictions are becoming increasingly coherent across jurisdictions, with some interpretations linked to the weaponization of widely agreed agendas. These are often used to stigmatise, harass, criminalize, or curtail dissent, take revenge against specific actors, weaken civil society sectors, and suppress the use of protest as a tool for expression and collective action. #ReimaginingHRDSafety #20YearsDefending