A/HRC/RES/44/20 Noting that the possibility of using communications technology securely and privately, in accordance with international human rights law, is important for the organization and conduct of assemblies, Noting also that, although an assembly has generally been understood as a physical gathering of people, human rights protections, including for the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression and of association, also apply to analogous interactions taking place online, Acknowledging that new technologies can be enablers for the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression, of association and of participation in the conduct of public affairs by facilitating mobilization for and the organization of assemblies, and acknowledging also that they create space for the holding of assemblies online and may facilitate and enhance the involvement and participation of those often marginalized, as well as support the proper management of assemblies and increase transparency and accountability, Expressing its concern at the criminalization, in all parts of the world, of individuals and groups solely for having organized or taken part in peaceful protests or for having observed, monitored or recorded protests, and at the designation of such individuals as threats to national security, whether in legislation or policy, Expressing its concern also at the unlawful or arbitrary surveillance, both in physical spaces and online, of individuals engaged in peaceful protests, including through the use of new and emerging digital tracking tools, such as facial recognition, international mobile subscriber identity-catchers (“stingrays”) and closed-circuit television, Emphasizing that technical solutions to secure and to protect the confidentiality of digital communications, including measures for encryption, pseudonymization and anonymity online, can be important to ensure the enjoyment of human rights, in particular the rights to privacy, to freedom of expression, and to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Stressing that peaceful protests should not be viewed as a threat, and therefore encouraging all States to engage in an open, inclusive and meaningful dialogue when dealing with peaceful protests and their causes, Recalling that isolated acts of violence committed by others in the course of a protest do not deprive peaceful individuals of their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression and of association, Bearing in mind that the peaceful conduct of assemblies can be facilitated on the basis of communication and collaboration among organizers, protesters, local authorities and officials exercising law enforcement duties, Recognizing that national human rights institutions and representatives of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, can play a useful role in facilitating continued dialogue between individuals taking part in peaceful protests and the relevant authorities, Stressing the need to ensure full accountability for human rights violations or abuses in the context of protests, including by investigating such violations and abuses and prosecuting the perpetrators, Recalling the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, and noting the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (2016), Noting the United Nations Human Rights Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as a supplement to the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, and calling upon all States to consider applying it to their law enforcement operations in relation to assemblies, Encouraging all States to make appropriate use of the Resource Book on the Use of Force and Firearms in Law Enforcement published by the Office of the High Commissioner 3