A/HRC/26/29 I. Introduction 1. The present annual report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association is submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to Council resolutions 15/21 and 24/5. It covers the activities the mandate holder carried out between 1 March 2013 and 28 February 2014 and addresses legislation and practices that discriminate against certain groups and deprive them of their rights to freely associate and peacefully assemble. Recommendations to various stakeholders are made, with a view to better promoting and protecting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. 2. To prepare the present report, the Special Rapporteur convened a one-day expert meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 December 2013. Moreover, he benefited from consultations held in Asia (Singapore) and Latin America (El Salvador) on the topic and from submissions by various individuals and groups. In accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 15/21, he also took into account relevant elements of work available within the Council.1 II. Activities A. Communications 3. The Special Rapporteur sent a total of 207 communications between 1 March 2013 and 28 February 2014. His observations on communications addressed to States and on the replies received between 1 March 2013 and 28 February 2014 are enclosed in an addendum to the present report (A/HRC/26/29/Add.1). B. Country visits 4. The Special Rapporteur visited Rwanda from 20 to 27 January 2014. He thanks the Government of Rwanda for its exemplary cooperation on that visit. Furthermore, he is grateful to the Governments of Kazakhstan, Malawi and Oman for extending invitations, which he hopes to honour soon. During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur renewed 32 pending country requests. He also made additional requests to Angola, Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Viet Nam and Zambia.2 C. Participation in various events 5. From 1 March 2013 to 28 February 2014, the Special Rapporteur took part in the following events organized by States and intergovernmental institutions, including international and regional human rights mechanisms: • Seventh Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies, hosted by the Government of Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar, 27–29 April 2013); 1 2 Country situations mentioned in the present report have been subject to communications transmitted to Governments, as well as to press releases issued by mandate holders and high-level United Nations officials. See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/AssemblyAssociation/Pages/CountryVisits.aspx. 3