In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

THE FOLLOWING are the substantive human rights that you hold, which are found in the first three of the four following international human rights instruments that comprise the International Bill of Rights: • Universal Declaration of Human Rights (udhr) • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (icescr) • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (iccpr) • Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (iccpr-op) Some sources include the Second Optional Protocol to the iccpr, abolishing the death penalty, as one of the human rights instruments that form the International Bill of Rights. Because this is not generally accepted, this instrument will not be reflected in the following list of human rights. These rights have been transposed by the present writer into second person declarative sentences so as to reinforce the reader’s sense of ownership of these human rights. SUBSTANTIVE RIGHTS You have the right to the exercise of all the following rights without discrimination based on your race, religion, color, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status. You have the right to life. You have the right to liberty and security of person. You have the right to be free from slavery and forced labor. You have the right to be free from torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. You have the right to recognition as a legal person before the law. You have the right to equal protection (equality) of the law. You have the right to access to effective domestic legal remedies for human rights violations. You have the right to be free from arbitrary arrest or detention. • APPENDIX A • Your Human Rights in the International Bill of Rights You have the right to a fair public hearing/trial before a competent, independent, impartial judiciary. You have the right to be presumed innocent against criminal charges and to all procedural due process rights. You have the right to be free from retroactive (ex post facto) criminal laws and from double jeopardy. You have the right, if you are a detained person, to be treated with humanity (humanely ) and respect for your human dignity. You have the right to be free from interference with privacy, home, and family. You have the right to be free from imprisonment for the inability to pay debts. You have the right to freedom of movement, choice of residence, and to leave a country. You have the right to seek asylum from persecution. You have the right to have a nationality. You have the right to own property. You have the right, as a man and a woman of marriageable age, to marry and have (found) a family. You have the right, if you are in motherhood or a childhood, to special protection. You have the right, if you are an alien, to freedom from arbitrary expulsion from a country. You have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. You have the right to freedom of expression, opinion, and the press. You have the right to freedom from propaganda advocating war or inciting national, racial, or religious hatred. You have the right to free peaceful assembly and association. You have the right to participate in the political life of the society. You have the right, if you are a member of an ethnic, religious, or linguistic minority, to enjoy your own culture, use your own language, and practice your own religion. You have the right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, clothing, and food. You have the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. You have the right to an education. You have the right to social security. You have the right to work, under just and favorable conditions. You have the right to form and participate in trade unions. You have the right to participate in the cultural life of your society. You have the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress. You have the collective right as “peoples” to self-determination (to determine your own political status; pursue economic and cultural development; and use your own natural wealth and resources). You have the right to a social and international order necessary to allow you to realize these rights. You have the right to adequate rest and leisure. (In situations of armed conflict, you would have legal protection under human rights law and also under international humanitarian law.) 280 • Appendix A ...

Share