Sherbrooke Record e-Edition

Human rights and common sense

Tim Belford

There seems to be a lot of discussion going on lately about Human Rights and the violation of those rights. Increasingly it appears that the default position for anyone accused of anything, or claiming redress for anything, is to yell that their ‘rights’ have been violated.

The problem in all this is defining what we mean by “human rights.” The usual ones quickly come to mind: the right of free speech, the right of assembly, the right to life, freedom of the press, freedom from discrimination etc., etc. Those basics have been joined by ‘rights’ dealing with sexual orientation, employment, housing, carrying an assault rifles in the grocery store and a dozen or more others.

Even if we can agree on what is or is not a ‘right,’ governments immediately go about limiting those ‘rights’ in the everyday application of what we call the rule of law – which is another ‘right’ by the way.

Free speech is a perfect example. Yes, theoretically, you can say what you want but if you go too far there are libel laws that come into play. There are also restrictions in many societies on inciting violence towards others and even, in the case of Germany, denying the holocaust. Is yelling “fire!” in a crowded theatre free speech or a crime? It depends, I suppose, on whether there was fire or not. It’s just common sense

The same holds true for the ‘right’ of assembly. It is a long-held belief that citizens should be allowed to gather in order to discuss and debate the merits or failings of their own government. They should also be allowed to gather to protest what they believe are unjust rulings by those in power. At the same time, as we learned in the recent truckers descent on the nation’s capital, one citizen’s idea of peaceful assembly is another citizen’s idea of mob rule.

Unfortunately, taking offense at something is a one-sided event. As any politician will tell you, claiming that you didn’t mean to offend anyone by a particular statement, no matter how sincere your apology, doesn’t change a thing. Only the person on the receiving end can judge whether they were offended or not. Once again common sense should prevail.

Our problem in dealing with ‘human rights’ is highlighted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which replaced the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 2006. The Council has 47 members and supposedly investigates breaches of human rights within member states. Investigates, is the key word here since actually taking action requires a two-thirds vote of the council members.

Interestingly enough, this doesn’t happen all that often. Perhaps the list of the Council members will explain. The 47 investigators include China, Pakistan, Libya, Cuba, Brazil and Somalia among others.

As any reasonably well-educated reader will notice, none of the above-noted nations have what could be called a sterling reputation, as far as human rights go, in their own country. One need only to ask the Uighur or Tibetan minorities of China about rights or the gay and lesbian community in Brazil. One positive note: at least Russia was recently expelled from the UNHRC. I guess you can only go so far.

Human rights are important but writing them down in a charter or constitution is just the first step. Applying them fairly is what counts and that takes, once again, commonsense.

THE RECORD EDITORIAL

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2022-12-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://sherbrookerecord.pressreader.com/article/281582359650489

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