General questions of human
rights
1. Elements
2. Origin of human rights
3. System of human rights
4. Restriction of human rights
1. Elements
1.1. Human rights (Menschenrechte)
• rights are due to people by virtue of human nature
• the Republic of Hungary only recognizes and respects, but
does NOT create
• everyone has equal human rights
• moral, enjoyment of rights, which are enforcable in legal
way
• moral rights being in Constitution <> moral requirements
besides law (Waldron, Sajó); human claims, humanitarian
efforts
1.2. Fundamental rights(Grundrechte)
• In constitutions
• In international treaties enumerated rigths
1.3. Constitutional rights
• Synonym of fundamental rights
• + non-human rights in Constitutions (rights of
representatives)
1.4. Civil rights
• Political rights of participation (for example suffrage)
• Duties of citizens (for example military service)
2. Origin of human rights
2.1. Tenet of natural law
Higher norms > natural, divine origin, eternal moral acts
• Order defined by God > Aquinói Szent Tamás
• Command of human mind > Hugo Grotius
• State is based on contract > Hobbes: Leviatán
• Social contract: defence of life, liberty, property > Locke: restricted
government; Montesquieu: „power against power”
• Priority of public purposes, „volonté generale” general will” >
Rousseau
The end of the 18th century- the beginning of the 19th century: human
rights=innate rights
2.2.Utilitarianism
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Consequence-principled attitude
Natural rights = fiction which one can only believe in
Burke: „historical utilitarianism”
Bentham: „happiness of most people” <> Declaration:
natural rights = „absurdity going on stilts”, no universality:
dictate of western civilization
 J.S. Mill: prevention of damage of another
 Sajó András: we can get to verification of individual
freedom > at long term it is going to be worse for
everybody; public welfare precedes human rights; as many
sociaty as many kinds of human rights > no universality
2.3.Kantian legal philosophy
Moral basis
• Kant: freedom is postulate of mind > categorical
imperative: respect of human dignity; legal system
is means of liberty
• Ronald Dworkin: individual constitutional rights
like strong rights > for their restriction public
welfare is insufficient
• Hart: at least one natural moral right: everbody has
the equal right to be free
• Feinberg: such a world where there’re human
rights is safer and more fair
3. System of human rights
3.1. Generations of human rights
First generation (18th century): freedom
• Negative rights > civil rights
• Personal (civil)
• Political: rights of participation (direct, indirect, petition)
Second generation (19th century): equality
• Positive rights > ECOSOC
• Economic: right to labour, Trade Union, strike, property
• Social: social security service, health service, right to home
• Cultural: education, arts, science
• Non-human rights > no moral basic
• Aims of the state unforced before courts
Third generation (20th century): fraternity,
solidarity
• global problems
• the people of developing world have the right to
self-determination, development, share in common
heritage
• failure of states: peace, healthy environment,
humanitarian aid
• reproduction right: „rights of future generations”,
information technology
3.2. Groups of fundamental rights
In relation of state and individual:
Defensive rigths: status negativus (G. Jellinek)
• state, feature, condition (life, corporal integrity,
privacy, residence) of person
• Legal position (property)
• Activity (assembly, opinion)
Rights of participation: status activus
• Political (direct, indirect)
• In wider meaning: assembly, opinion, association
+ freedom of information
Service rights: status pozitivus
• For real service> poverty minimum
• Normative action > public service broadcasting,
control of balance
In civil law relations> objective side of rights =
institutional protection
4. Restriction of human rights
Depends on the origin: utilitarianism <>moral (for example
torture of terrorist)
4.1. Absolute rights
• human treatment of person > prohibition of torture, slavery,
forced labour
• capital punishment: 1972, 1976 USA; 1990 Hungary
• guaranties of criminal law > presumption of innocence,
prohibition of retroactive justice in the criminal legislation
• restriction in emergency situation
4.2. Hierarchy of rights
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US SC: freedom of expression
BVerfG: Menschenwürde
EJEB: right to life, freedom of expression
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Hungary:
1. Right to life and human dignity > DECISION
23/1990 AB
2. freedom of expression > DECISION 30/1992 AB
4.3. Matters of form
• amendment of Constitution
• regulation by Parliamentary acts
4.4. Matters of contents
Aim:
• Defence of rights of another
• Institutional protection (abortion, state owned media)
• Aims of states, „public interest”
4.5. The scope of restriction
• US SC: pressing social need + proportionality
• BVerfG: Verhältnismäßigkeit > suitability, necessity
• Constitutional Court of the Republic of Hungary:
* proportionality-necessity > DECISION 2/1990 AB,
DECISION 20/1990 AB
* more permissive test: rationality > freedom of
contracting, property, discriminatio nof non-basic
rights
Thank you for your attention!