Fight for protesters' rights

30 August 2016 - 08:56 By SHENAAZ JAMAL

Inequality and challenges facing protesters inspired yesterday's launch of the Right2Protest project. A coalition of groups such as Section 27 organisations, intends to pool expertise to respond to challenges in activism and social mobilisation.The pilot project will be made up of an attorney and a project co-ordinator overseen by a steering committee consisting of Lawyers for Human Rights, the Right2Know Campaign and Freedom of Expression Institute representatives.Lisa Chamberlain of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at Wits University said the project was inspired by arrests and increasingly violent treatment of protesters.Right2Know campaign spokesman Murray Hunter said pro-democracy groups had to get together to defend the right to protest.He criticised "violent police, arrogant government officials and unaccountable private companies like the mines"."The clampdown on the right to protest is one of the biggest freedom of expression issues in South Africa today."Hunter said the main victims were poor people...

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