From Civic Space to the Internet: Legislating rights to  peaceful assembly during pandemic

Nadia Nabila Mohd Saufi; Saslina Kamaruddin; Wan Rosalili Wan Rosli; Ani Munirah Mohamad; Nadzriah Ahmad

doi:10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI11.4169

Authors

Nadia Nabila Mohd Saufi Faculty of Business Management & Professional Studies, Management & Science University, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Saslina Kamaruddin Faculty of Management & Economics, Sultan Idris Education University, Perak, Malaysia
Wan Rosalili Wan Rosli Faculty of Management & Economics, Sultan Idris Education University, Perak, Malaysia
Ani Munirah Mohamad School of Law and Centre for Testing, Measurement and Appraisal (CeTMA), Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia
Nadzriah Ahmad Faculty of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI11.4169

Keywords:

Online, Peaceful Assembly, Fundamental Rights, COVID-19, International Law

Abstract

With the social distancing measures implemented during Pandemic Covid 19, many peaceful assemblies have attempted to restructure, equip, and empower themselves creatively for online gathering. This incident emphasises the importance of digital tools, such as the Internet and ICTs, in exercising online rights to peaceful assembly and association. Given the above, this article attempts to deliberate on transforming rights to the peaceful assembly from offline to online and the legal challenges attached. The authors argue that the right to peaceful assembly and association is vital to ensuring enhanced transparency and accountability in implementing human rightsÂ policies within countries.

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