Civil and Political Rights

Civil and political rights, often termed "first-generation" human rights, are designed to protect individuals from the arbitrary power of the state and ensure their ability to participate in the life of the republic. These are primarily codified in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966.

The list of civil and political rights are appended below:

1. Rights to Physical Integrity and Liberty

These rights protect the person from physical harm and unjustified detention.

• Right to Life: Protection against the arbitrary deprivation of life.

• Freedom from Torture: Absolute protection from torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

• Freedom from Slavery: Prohibition of slavery, the slave trade, and forced labor.

• Right to Liberty and Security: Protection against arbitrary arrest or detention.

• Right to Humane Treatment in Custody: The requirement that all persons deprived of their liberty be treated with humanity.

2. Rights to Due Process and Legal Protection

These ensure that the legal system operates fairly for every individual.

• Equality Before the Law: The principle that all people are subject to the same laws of justice.

• Right to a Fair Trial: The right to a public hearing by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal.

• Presumption of Innocence: The right to be considered innocent until proven guilty according to law.

• Protection Against Double Jeopardy: No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offense for which they have already been finally convicted or acquitted.

• Prohibition of Retroactive Laws: No one can be guilty of an offense that was not a crime at the time it was committed (Ex post facto laws).

3. Fundamental Individual Freedoms

These protect the "inner" life and personal choices of the individual.

• Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion: The right to have or adopt a religion or belief of choice.

• Freedom of Expression: The right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds.

• Right to Privacy: Protection against arbitrary or unlawful interference with one’s privacy, family, home, or correspondence.

• Freedom of Movement: The right to move freely within a country and the right to leave any country, including one's own.

4. Rights to Political Participation

These ensure the individual can influence the governance of their society.

• Freedom of Assembly: The right to gather peacefully for a common purpose.

• Freedom of Association: The right to form and join organizations, including trade unions.

• Right to Vote and Take Part in Public Affairs: The right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

• Access to Public Service: The right to have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in one's country.

5. Rights to Equality and Non-Discrimination

• Protection of Minorities: In states where ethnic, religious, or linguistic minorities exist, they shall not be denied the right to enjoy their own culture, practice their religion, or use their own language.

• Non-Discrimination: The guarantee that all rights are enjoyed without distinction of race, color, sex, language, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, property, or birth.