EQ2 HHR Flashcards
how do human rights vary from place to place?
what are human rights?
shared principles or values which some argue should be universal, giving humans certain rights that should never be denied
set standards of human behaviour by being made into laws either at national or international level
where can precursors to modern concept of human rights be found?
English bill of rights 1689
United states declaration of independence 1777
French declaration of rights of the man and the citizen 1789
why was the UDHR made and by who
United nations adopted in 1948
largely a response to the holocaust by the Nazis in WW2
ensure actions wont be repeated
what has the UDHR been used for?
- to place political pressure on countries denying basic human rights
- justification for economic sanctions
- justification for military intervention in foreign countries committing widespread human rights abuse
who did not sign the initial UDHR agreement? why might some not
Soviet Union- not strong enough against fascism
Ukrainian SSR
Union of South Africa- to protect apartheid
Yugoslavia
Saudi- ‘right to change religion’ and ‘equal rights for all’
examples of non signatories of human rights
USA not ratified 1990 UN convention on rights of the child
over 50 countries not signed or only partly adopted 1981 convention on eliminating all forms of discrimination against women
where have there been recent breaches of human rights?
Russia in its invasion of Ukraine
‘gross and systematic human rights violations as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russia’ says Ukrainian ambassador Filipenko
what is the ECHR, when and who formed it
council o Europe formed in 1949 to establish good relationship after WW2
ECHR drafted as a treaty to protect human rights
All EU members include it in their own national laws
when did the UK implement the ECHR into their laws
1998 British Human Rights act
became law in 2000
what does the British human rights act protect
15 fundamental rights and freedoms
right to life, privacy, free speech
based on ECHR articles
ensures people can defend their rights in court and people are treated fairly
why are people opposed to the ECHR
- undemocratic- threatens British sovereignty
- parliament should be able to determine own laws
- we are bound to decisions of ECHR
what was going to happen with the ECHR and Brexit?
planned to replace with ‘British bill of rights and responsibilities’
ECHR no longer able to overrule British court judgement
BUT Brexit deal negotiated meant UK locked into ECHR as it was not EU written - European council
how many UK cases have been overruled in Strasburg since 1959 compared to average overrule
UK 60% overruled
avg 83% overruled
what are the main 3 types of case brought to ECHR against the UK, and how many
right to fair trial - 91
right to respect and private family life- 66
right to liberty and security 64
what is the Geneva convention and when was it made
governs humanitarian actions during wartime
dates 1860s, current version 1949
how many countries have signed the geneva convention
196 countries - globally ratified
what are the ‘rules of war’ established in the Geneva convention
- wounded and sick soldiers should be evacuated from the field of battle and given medical treatment, even by the enemy side
- prisoners should be well treated and not used for forced labour, hostages shouldn’t be taken
- civilians should be protected in areas which are conquered
what happens if a country is accused of going against the Geneva conventions?
those accused of war crimes are tried ay international criminal court in the netherlands
who does not recognise the ICC
USA China Russia and India
what are the difficulties with the ICC?
- international cooperation to bring criminals to trial hard as not all agree with it
- war criminals have to be captured and brought to the Hague
- gathering evidence of war crimes during a war is historically difficult
how many sovereign states are estimated to use torture?
140
how many countries possess chemical weapons
25
what are the top 10 worst countries for breaking UDHR globally?
China
Eritrea
Russia
Somalia
DRC
Venezuela
Myanmar
Syria
N. Korea
Saudi Arabia
what is prioritising human rights routinely sacrificed for?
economic development
