European human rights
European Human Rights
European human rights are the rights that every individual is entitled to within their life. European human rights refer to the rights that an individual living within a country that has ratified to the European Convention on Human Rights has. These rights are a natural right that an individual is entitled to from birth and are there to ensure that the individual can live a free, safe and happy life. Without legislation in place regulating European human rights individuals could be subject to all kinds of actions infringing on their private life, forcing them in to slavery and being refrained from any form of personal expression.
European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human rights was implemented on the 3rd of September 1953. Countries can be held liable to the convention once they ratify to it. It provided 18 articles on European human rights. The following is a list of the articles that were put in place on that day:
Article 1: Respecting rights. This article simply bound all ratifying party members to secure the rights within their countries jurisdiction.
Article 2: The right to life. The most basic of European human right, this right protects individual’s right to life, life is precious and should not be taken from an individual.
Article 3: The right to be free from torture. This article prohibits torture in any ratifying country. Torture may not be used for any purpose even within war.
Article 4: The right to be free from servitude. This right prohibits any form of slavery servitude or forced labour.
Article 5: The right to liberty and security. Ensuring that every individual has the right to liberty and the security of person.
Article 6: The right to fair trial. Any individual convicted of a crime has the right to be fairly tried to see what the appropriate outcome is.
Article 7: The right to retrospectivity. No individual can be convicted for a crime that wasn’t a criminal offence at the time the crime was commit.
Article 8: The right to privacy. This is one of the most controversial areas of European human rights, every individual has the right to respect for ones private and family life, it should not unnecessarily be interfered with, although interference when deemed necessary is permit.
Article 9: The right to freedom of thought. This ensures that individuals have the right to believe in what they want. They have the right to be free in their decision of what religion they believe in.
Article 10: The right to freedom of expression. This area of European human rights is especially controversial in contemporary human rights issues. It states that individuals have the right to freely express themselves, it links with freedom of public assembly where freedom of expression is often intertwined.
Article 11: The right to freedom of assembly as mentioned above.
Article 12: The right to marry and start a family
Article 13: The right for an effective remedy. This provides provisions for individuals who feel their rights, as stated under the convention on European human rights, have been breached.
Article 14: The right to not be discriminated against. No individual should be discriminated against for any reason including there gender, age, disability or race.
Article 15: Derogation. This allows the ratifying states to be relieved from certain rights in the time of war. It must be proved that there was a public emergency threatening the life of the nation to allow this.
Article 16: Aliens. This right allows the country in question to restrict the political activity of foreigners.
Article 17: Abuse of rights. No one may use the European human rights for any other purpose that their specified purpose.
Article 18: Permitted restrictions. The convention allows for situations where certain rights may be restricted. These are known under the Human rights Act 1998 as limited rights, whereby an individual can be restricted their rights under situations where the law prohibits it, such as the right to liberty is limited when they are detained in a penitentiary.
Any infringement of these rights will be taken in front of the European Court of Human Rights which is in Strasbourg in France.