A/HRC/44/49/Add.1 C. Freedom of expression, and of peaceful assembly and of association 71. The Special Rapporteur calls upon the authorities to protect the safety and integrity of individuals and groups exercising their rights to freedom of expression, and of peaceful assembly and of association, including from attacks committed by non-State actors. The protection of rights requires that the State take effective measures to prevent and redress any acts of violence, threats or interference committed by State and non-State actors alike. 72. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the adoption of new legislation on civil society organizations. He urges the Agency for Civil Society Organizations to facilitate the registration of civil society groups, to ensure that groups can access resources, including from foreign sources, and to strengthen their capacities to support the political reform process. He also urges all public authorities to devote resources to expanding opportunities for women to participate at all levels of governance and in all professions. 73. The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to ensure that the new policy on police use of force and accountability complies with international human rights standards, namely with the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, and the 10 principles for the management of assemblies that were developed by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (A/HRC/31/66). 74. The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to support efforts of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to modernize itself, including by providing it with adequate financial and human resources to ensure its independent, transparent and effective functioning. 75. Given the importance of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in times of democratization, especially in the context of elections, the Special Rapporteur refers to the report on elections by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, 20 in which he advised that the threshold for imposing restrictions should be more difficult to meet during election times. D. Discrimination and hate speech 76. The Special Rapporteur is mindful and is concerned that hateful speech may incite violence, discrimination or hostility against groups in society. He encourages the authorities to address intolerance and inter-ethnic tension through a national dialogue and legal, policy and educational initiatives. 77. The Government, politicians, community leaders and other leadership figures in society should refrain from making statements that encourage or promote intolerance against individuals on the basis of protected characteristics, such as ethnicity. Instead, they should work together to develop a culture based on knowledge, tolerance, respect and intercultural understanding. 78. The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to ensure that the new legislation on hate speech and disinformation is implemented carefully and narrowly with a view to tackling the offences of hate speech and disinformation. He also urges the authorities to refrain from imposing criminal sanctions in such instances. 79. The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to ensure that any restriction on content is imposed pursuant to an order by an independent and impartial judicial authority, and in accordance with due process and standards of legality, necessity, proportionality and legitimacy. 20 A/68/299. 17