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We already know that every man is entitled to his freedoms and rights. They are inalienable and inviolable, they result from the principle of respect for human dignity and its protection. The catalogue of rights and freedoms has been confirmed in various national and international documents. Respect for human rights is the foundation of justice, peace and security in the world. The entityentityentity that has a special responsibility for respecting human rights is the state. In practice, however, all states, even the most democratic ones, violate human rights. Of course, the scale of violations of rights and freedoms in democratic countries is much smaller than in undemocratic ones. In addition, in democratic countries, citizens may demand the execution of their rights in the event of violation of rights and freedoms. They are equipped withequipped withequipped with appropriate instruments that help them reduce violations or obtain compensationcompensationcompensation for the harm they have suffered. In a totalitarian state, a citizen is deprived ofdeprived ofdeprived of such mechanisms of pursuing claims.

Examples of executive instruments in case of human rights violations:

• efficient functioning of the judicial system and maintaining all elements of a fair trial,

• efficient police operation,

• the possibility of submitting complaints to the Ombudsman,

• the possibility of making complaints to international institutions.

Exercise 1

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Grafika przedstawia widzianą od tyłu osobę w kapturze. Przed nią znajduje się płot z siatki. Ćwiczenie alternatywne: The most common causes of human rights infringements are, among others, discrimination, xenophobia, armed conflicts. Choose one of the causes and describe briefly, what effects and consequences it brings. Compare your answer with the suggestions of other students. Causes: functioning of totalitarian and authoritarian systems, military conflicts, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, lack of respect for another human being.

Grafika przedstawia widzianą od tyłu osobę w kapturze. Przed nią znajduje się płot z siatki. Ćwiczenie alternatywne: The most common causes of human rights infringements are, among others, discrimination, xenophobia, armed conflicts. Choose one of the causes and describe briefly, what effects and consequences it brings. Compare your answer with the suggestions of other students. Causes: functioning of totalitarian and authoritarian systems, military conflicts, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, lack of respect for another human being.

The most common causes of human rights infringements are, among others, discrimination, xenophobia, armed conflicts. Choose one of the causes and describe briefly, what effects and consequences it brings. Compare your answer with the suggestions of other students.

There is a variety of manifestations of violations of fundamental rights and freedoms. The most dangerous are human rights violations on a large scale (so‑called mass violations of human rights) - genocide or ethnic cleansingethnic cleansingethnic cleansing, persecutionpersecutionpersecution of minorities (national, ethnic, racial), sending political opponents to labor camps.

Examples of types of violations of human rights:

• genocide,

• ethnic cleansing,

• persecution of minorities,

• extrajudicialextrajudicialextrajudicial executions,

• adjudicationadjudicationadjudication and execution of the death penalty,

• „disappearances” of people,

• limiting the freedoms of speech, association, assembly,

• detention without charge or initiation of legal proceedings,

• unreliableunreliableunreliable court proceedings,

• various manifestations of discrimination,

• the use of torture or other forms of degrading treatment or punishment.

We must remember that any, even individual, violation of a single right or freedom is inconsistent withinconsistent withinconsistent with the principle of respect for human dignity and should be stigmatized.

Despite the efforts and numerous mechanisms monitoring the observance of human rights in many parts of the world, human rights violations still occur on a large scale. China, Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Belarus - these are just a few examples from a large group of countries violating fundamental rights and freedoms. According to the organizations monitoring the observance of human rights in the world, totalitarian and authoritarian states commit much more violations of rights and freedoms. Among the reasons for violations of human rights, one can also mention armed conflicts, as well as racist and xenophobic attitudesattitudeattitudes. The most dangerous are human rights violations on a large scale in the form of genocide or ethnic cleansing, persecution of minorities (national, ethnic, racial), sending political opponents to labor camps and human traffickinghuman traffickinghuman trafficking.

Keywords

human rights violations, Ombudsman, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, genocide, ethnic cleansing

Glossary