During the Vietnam war the federal government attempted to impose similar barriers to citizens freely assembling in protest and were sued by the ACLU.
"Ultimately, until Ugandans can freely assemble, hear divergent views, and weigh how to use their vote without fear of teargas, bullets and batons, the freedom and fairness of Uganda's elections will be in question," she said.
The Porcellian Club, the oldest of the groups, issued its own statement: "We are disappointed with this unfair and punitive decision that attacks Harvard's own students because they make a choice to freely assemble at unaffiliated, off-campus, private organizations".
The problem that China's political leaders will face is that now that their people have had a taste of economic freedom, their citizens will want the same freedom in what they say and publish, their ability to freely assemble and what religion they choose to practice.
"Some 100 Bahá'ís are wrongly imprisoned solely because of their religious beliefs, thousands more are excluded from higher education, and the Bahá'í community as a whole is discriminated against in employment and prevented from freely assembling for worship and community activities," said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the UN in Geneva.
The 225-year-old Porcellian Club issued a rare statement, saying its members were "disappointed with this unfair and punitive decision that attacks Harvard's own students because they make a choice to freely assemble at unaffiliated, off-campus, private organizations".
"The U.S. position has been clear: the people in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, like people throughout Iraq and indeed throughout the region, have the universal right to demonstrate peacefully, to freely assemble, to seek redress from their government and to express themselves without fear of intimidation or death," said the spokesman, David J. Ranz.
Can they freely assemble?
In order to speak freely, assemble freely and organize freely, it is necessary to be free from state monitoring.
The Obama Administration has no choice in any of these places but to support the rights of the demonstrators to freely assemble and speak out.
