Margatova A.

                                                       4th year student, "International Law"

Faculty of International Relations

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

    Scientific adviser:

Candidate of  Law, associate professor  Tussupova A.Zh.

 

Rights and liberties of man and citizen: methods of protection

 

  Nowadays the understanding of some problems while providing human rights, supremacy of law and freedoms of man as the basis of law-based state is gradually forming in Kazakhstan.

The constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan 1995 has established not only the underlying principle: “The man, his rights and liberties are higher value”, but simultaneously settled the obligation of state to admit, adhere and protect rights and freedoms. Recognition of rights and liberties of man and citizen as foreground principle has become important and significant condition for the legal and moral foundation of democracy, distinct determination of the individual’s legal status in Kazakhstan. In accordance with article 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, rights and liberties of man and citizen are recognized and maintained in our country. They are adherent, absolute and unalienable. They define the purview and application of law and other regulations as well as the function of organs of government and local authorities, provided by public justice. The significance of these norms cannot be overestimated as far as they emphasize the priority of rights and liberties of man compared to other values.   

Meanwhile, the level of democratic development of society is defined not only by formal admission the priority of rights and liberties of man and citizen, including its implementation into domestic law and proclamation of customary rules and principles of international law in the field of human rights as a part of national legal system. Efficient state legal mechanism of the safe-keeping and protection of rights and liberties has to be created in a society which will allow the individual to take advantage of already existing legal and organizational procedures for the purpose of actual implementation of its rights and liberties.

Constitutions of democratic states provide the opportunity of a man to protect its rights and liberties by all not prohibited by law means. Under “protection” of human rights not only its protection against all possible violations is implicated but also the creation of all necessary conditions for that the man could enjoy its rights without any unlawful obstacles.

It is known that a need in human rights mechanism is rising up while the rights are violated. Besides the work of state’s organs on the protection of citizens’ rights, human rights mechanism comprise the struggle for materialization rights and liberties granted by the legislation.

Types of human rights of a man are the following:

1)    remedy from the organs of public authority;

2)    citizens’ remedy from public associations;

3)    self-protection of human rights, including:

-         resort to governmental bodies and local authorities;

-         appeal of actions (inactivity) of officials, breaking citizens’ rights;

-         resort to mass media and human rights organizations, public associations;

-         public speaking of citizens in defense of their rights;

-         resort to international bodies on human rights.

In the legal state one of the most efficient and wide-spread means of protection of rights and liberties is judicial defense.

Constitutional right on judicial defense of natives of the Republic of Kazakhstan as well as of many foreign states includes two types of legal power. Firstly, material content of this law (law of a compliant on compensation of damage or harmful consequences, caused by offence or unlawful acts of governmental bodies or its officials). Secondly, its procedural content (the right on lawsuit, on individual and collective compliance).  

In 2002 in the Republic of Kazakhstan a new state institute was established- Commissioner for human rights, in international law it is customary to define it as ombudsperson (ombudsman). In connection with the increase of state’s penetration in social spheres of society’s life, the growth of administrative establishment, the necessity of extra mechanisms has appeared to provide the balance between a society and state itself. That has given occasion to the creation of ombudsman institute in Kazakhstan. Undoubtedly, there have always existed different institutes of the protection of human rights and liberties. It should be mentioned that the significant amount of national institutes on human rights and liberties’ protection are presented by such organizations as follows:

1)     Human Rights Commission;

2)     Ombudsmen;

3)     Specialized national institutes on the protection of attackable communities (children, women etc.).

Fix in detail on the ombudsman institute. It first emerged in human rights body system in 1809 in Sweden when the newly created post of specialized parliament inspector for the legitimate activity of administration. However peculiar title of this institute was developed in many countries. For instance, «human rights commissioner» in Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, «parliamentary human rights commissioner» in Great Britain, «parliamentary mediator » in France and «people’s defender» in Spain [1]. Currently ombudsman institute exists in more than 100 countries of the world. The principal reason of this human rights institute appearance is that in the second part of XX century earlier existing social-economical human rights mechanisms were not sufficiently effective to release the new type of state- person conflicts. Generally speaking, this human rights institute appeals to protect citizens against incompetent work of administrative bodies, educe and analyze faulty operations of government agencies, develop some recommendations with respect to their human rights activity improvement. As it’s well known, human rights and their protection are governing not only by domestic law but international law as well. The right to appeal to interstate bodies emerges only in cases when all intrastate human rights means of protection are depleted. Universal declaration on human rights 1948 which is only of moral and politic nature admits the right of every person to «efficient resumption in rights by competent national courts» [2].

Developing this provision, European commission on human rights and fundamental freedoms 1950 consolidates the right of every person to «fair trial in reasonable time by independent and impartial court established on the legal basis» [3]. Accordingly in pursuant of national law all legally capable subjects habituating on the territory of European Soviet states in course of depletion of all opportunities of their rights protection are able to apply to European court on human rights.

Moreover, one of the most significant achievements in international regulation of human rights is establishment and functioning of interstate protection mechanism. Currently according to provisions of international treaties certain system of interstate bodies has been settled to vest with international control of states’ activity in respect of human rights. Such a control is provided at multiple levels. For instance, central and subsidiary UN bodies are realized at universal level, European Soviet and other European countries institutes – at regional level. Some international human rights institutes have been created among the former Soviet republics within the frame of Commonwealth of Independent States.   

Thereby, every person is to have an opportunity to freely select the means of his violated rights protection. Meanwhile the state has to ensure the equal right of everyone regardless of faith, race, and place of residence, age and sex to take advantage of these protection means. Otherwise the tendency of the modern state to democracy, legitimacy, freedom, equality, humanity, law-based state expressed in constitutional norms and principles would remain only a declaration of such intentions.          

List of resources used:

1.     http://study-5.ru/folder-kurs/sposoby_zaschity_prav_svobod_cheloveka_grazhdanina.htm

2.     http://www.un.org/Overview/rights

3.     http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/convention_ENg.pdf