Following the publication of draft legislation (avant-projet de loi) that the French government is expected to discuss on 9 December , Amnesty International is concerned that some of its provisions threaten freedom of association and may have a chilling effect on human rights defenders and civil society organizations. In particular, the draft extends the reasons that the government can invoke to dissolve an organization.
The dissolution of an organization is an extreme measure that can be justified only in very limited circumstances. For example, according to European human rights law, a dissolution may be justified in light of a close and direct connection between an organization and a crime or the engagement of an organization in activities that constitute an imminent infringement of the rights of others or that fundamentally reject democratic institutions and the rule of law.
