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{{Short description|none}}
'''Human rights in Europe''' are generally upheld. However, several human rights infringements exist, ranging from the treatment of [[asylum seekers]]<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.amnesty.eu/en/press-releases/all-0565/|title=Asylum-seekers aren't criminals|date=7 May 2012|location=Brussels|
Unlike its member states, the [[European Union]] itself
== History ==
{{
The history of human rights in Europe is marked by a contradictory combination of legislative and intellectual progress and violations of fundamental human rights in both Europe and its [[European colonial empires|colonies]].
=== Pre-1945 ===
* 1215: [[Magna Carta]]
* 1222: [[Golden Bull of 1222]] of Hungary defines the first time the rights of the nobility.
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* 15th to 19th centuries: [[African slave trade]]
* 1505: ''[[Nihil novi]]'' in Poland forbids peasant from leaving their lands without permission from their [[feudal lord]]
* 1525: [[Twelve Articles]] of Memmingen, Bavaria, Germany
* 1529: [[Statutes of Lithuania]]
* 1550–1551: [[Bartolomé de las Casas]] debates [[Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda]] on human rights ([[Valladolid debate]])
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* 1650–1660: Jesuit priest [[António Vieira]] fights for the human rights of the [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|indigenous population]] of [[Brazil]] and obtains royal decrees against their enslavement
* 1689: The [[English Bill of Rights]] is established
* 1689: The [[Claim of Right Act 1689
* 1690: ''[[The Second Treatise of Civil Government]]'' by [[John Locke]]
* 1750–1860: The [[Inclosure Act]] is passed by the United Kingdom Parliament, enclosing [[common land]] and assigning private property rights to lands which formerly had not been private▼
* 1772: British court ruling by [[William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield]] sets a [[precedent]] that [[slavery]] had no basis in law
▲*
* 1781: [[Serfdom]] is abolished in the [[Habsburg]] countries through the emperor [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold II]] ( [[Bohemia]], [[Moravia]] and Austrian Silesia)
* 1783:
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* 1789: The [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]] is introduced in France
* 1790: ''[[Rights of Man]]'' by [[Thomas Paine]]
* 1792: Denmark made [[Atlantic slave trade|transatlantic slave]] trade illegal but the prohibition would not take effect before 1803 (slavery was still legal).
* 1794:
** France abolishes slavery
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* 1802: France re-introduces slavery
* 1804: The [[Napoleonic Code]] forbids privileges based on birth, establishes freedom of religion, and specifies a [[meritocracy|meritocratic system]] for government jobs
* 1807: Britain abolishes the [[History of slavery|slave trade]] (but not of slavery itself)
* 1810: [[Prussia]] abolishes serfdom
* 1832: The British [[Reform Act 1832
* 1833: Britain abolishes slavery
* 1845: Another United Kingdom
* 1848: France abolishes slavery
* 1859: ''[[On Liberty]]'' by [[John Stuart Mill]]
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* 1863: The [[Netherlands]] abolishes slavery
* 1867: Britain's [[Reform Act 1867|Second Reform Act]] extends voting rights to all urban male homeowners
* 1884: The British [[Representation of the People Act 1884
* 1906: [[Finland]] is the first European country to introduce [[universal suffrage]] in national elections
* 1917: Finland extends universal suffrage to local elections
* 1918: Another British [[Representation of the People Act 1918
* 1933–1945: [[The Holocaust]]
=== 1945–1984 ===
* 1954–1956: Britain tortures and kills at least 50,000 [[Kenya]]ns in the [[Mau Mau Rebellion]]
* 1954–62: Both France and the [[FLN (Algeria)|FLN]] use torture in the [[Algerian War of Independence]]
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* 1978: [[European Court of Human Rights]] rules that torture by the British government of suspect [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] members constitutes "cruel and inhuman treatment"
=== 1984–present ===
The states of the EU, as well as [[Iceland]], Norway, Switzerland, and the [[European microstates]], generally have clean human rights records. The prospect of EU membership (which also entails subscription to the [[European Convention on Human Rights]]){{Citation needed|date=May 2015}} has encouraged several European states, most notably [[Croatia]] and [[Turkey]], to improve their human rights, especially on freedom of speech and banning the [[death penalty]]. However, certain laws passed in the wake of the [[War on Terrorism]] have been condemned for encroaching on human rights. There has been criticism of the [[French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools]] and the French legislation for protecting the public against certain cults. In the UK, a new [[Proposed British Bill of Rights|British Bill of Rights]] has been advocated to: protect wider range of economic, political, judicial, communication, and personal rights and freedoms; extend normal rights and freedoms to presently unprivileged business-economic minority classes; strengthen and extend the liberal social order; and establish a new independent [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]] with the power to strike down government laws and policies that violate basic rights and freedoms.
==== Latvia ==== <!-- Latvia does not consider itself to have been part of the USSR. Its stance is supported by EU -->
{{main|Human rights in Latvia}}
In [[Latvia]], citizenship, usage of mother tongue, and ethnic-based discrimination are the most acute problems for [[Russians in Latvia|its Russian minority]]. Currently, half of the Russian-speaking community of Latvia are Latvian citizens, while the other half do not have citizenship of any country in the world. They form the unique legal category of "Latvian non-citizens". In some spheres their status is similar to that of citizens of Latvia (for example, in receive consular support abroad), while in some spheres they have fewer rights
The Russian minority in Latvia is on the decline due to emigration and the negative birth rate. The death rate among Russians in Latvia is higher than that of Latvians in Latvia and Russians in Russia, in part due to the unfavourable social conditions that have come about in Latvian cities following the enforced destruction of the industrial economy in the beginning of the 1990s.
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Following the collapse and break-up of the [[Soviet Union]], its history of severe human right abuses were laid in the open. The situation has since improved in the majority of formerly communist states of Europe, especially of those in Central Europe. These Central European states have aligned themselves with the EU (most of them becoming members in 2004) and have undergone a rigorous reform of human rights laws, most notably regarding freedom of speech and religion and the protection of minorities, particularly of the [[Romani people|Romani]]. However, the former USSR states have made slower progress. Despite all but Belarus becoming members of the [[Council of Europe]], constant conflict between minority group separatists in the [[Caucasus]] has led these states to pass strict laws with the aim of limiting rebellions.
===== Armenia =====
{{main|Human rights in Armenia}}
[[2008 Armenian presidential election protests|A series of mass protests]] were held in [[Armenia]] in the wake of the [[2008 Armenian presidential election
===== Belarus =====
{{main|Human rights in Belarus}}
Belarus is often described as "Europe's last dictatorship".<ref>
===== Russia =====
{{main|Human rights in Russia}}
Russia has partaken in some questionable acts, such as replacing elected governors with appointed ones and [[Censorship in Russia|censoring the press]], claiming many of these measures are needed to maintain control over its volatile [[Caucasus]] border, where several rebel groups are based. ''The Economist''`s [[Democracy Index]] classified Russia as a "hybrid regime" in 2007
Russia was downgraded to an [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regime, which the report attributes to concerns over the [[2011 Russian legislative election
==== Former Yugoslavian states ====
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The now six states of the former Yugoslavia, ([[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Croatia]], [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]], [[Montenegro]], [[Serbia]], and [[Slovenia]]) are in various stages of human rights development. Slovenia, which suffered least in the [[Yugoslav wars]], is a member of EU and is widely considered to have a good human rights record and policy, Croatia joined the EU and is considered to have a good human rights, Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro have formed stable governments and have fair human rights records.
However, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia retain questionable rights records, the former entirely governed under [[UN Mandate]], as is a part of the latter (Kosovo).{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}{{update after|reason=Kososvo is now its own country|2012|5}} Bosnia-Herzegovina is the most ethnically diverse of the former Yugoslavian states, with large groups of [[Bosniaks]], [[Croats]], and [[Serbs]], making peace difficult to attain. Both Bosnia and Serbia are classified as democracies by ''The Economist'', with the former being a "hybrid regime" and the latter a "flawed democracy".<ref name="economist.com"/>
=== Universal suffrage ===
Universal suffrage was introduced in European countries during the following years:
* 1906: [[Finland]]<ref group=note>Finland was the first country in the world to give full parliamentary rights to women. New Zealand had granted women suffrage before Finland, but not the right to stand as candidates in elections.</ref>
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** [[Estonia]]
* 1918:
** After the [[Central Powers]]' defeat in [[World War I]] and collapse of [[Habsburg
*** [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]
*** [[First Austrian Republic|Austria]]
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* 1984: [[Liechtenstein]]
=== Known issues ===
==== Human trafficking ====
{{main
The end of communism, the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and easier global travel have contributed to an increase in human trafficking, with many victims being forced into prostitution, hard labour, agriculture, and domestic service.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3979725.stm | newspaper=BBC News | title=A modern slave's brutal odyssey | date=3 November 2004 |
The [[Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings]] was adopted by the Council of Europe on 16 May 2005. The aim of the convention is to prevent and combat the trafficking in human beings. The convention entered into force on 1/2/2008. As of
Amnesty International has called on European states to sign and ratify the convention as part of the fight against human trafficking.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/IOR61/001/2005|publisher=Amnesty International|title=Council of Europe: Recommendations to Strengthen the December 2004 Draft European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings|date=1 January 2005}}</ref>
== Council of Europe / European Union ==▼
▲==Council of Europe / European Union==
▲{{main article|Council of Europe}}
The Council of Europe is responsible for both the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] and the [[European Court of Human Rights]]. These institutions bind the Council's members to a code of human rights which, though strict, are more lenient than those of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]. The Council also promotes the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] and the [[European Social Charter]].
The Council of Europe is separate from the European Union, but the latter is expected to join the European Convention and potentially the Council itself. The EU also has a separate human rights document: the [[Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union]].<ref name="Junker Council">{{cite web|last=Junker|first=Jean-Claude|title =Council of Europe – European Union: "A sole ambition for the European continent"|year=2006|publisher=Council of Europe|url=http://assembly.coe.int/Sessions/2006/speeches/20060411_report_JCJuncker_EN.pdf|format=PDF|
The [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] is responsible for promoting and protecting the human rights defined in international human rights treaties in Europe. In late 2009, the High Commissioner opened a Regional Office for Europe<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europe.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx|title=Regional Office for Europe|publisher=United Nations Human Rights: Officer of the High Commissioner for Human Rights}}</ref> which is mandated to promote and protect human rights in 40 European countries, including member states, candidate states, and potential candidate (the Balkans, Iceland, Norway and Turkey).
== See also ==
{{Portal
{{colbegin}}
* [[Capital punishment in Europe]]
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* [[European Court of Human Rights]]
* [[Council of Europe]]
* [[Environmental racism in Europe]]
* [[Human rights in Asia]]
* [[Human rights in East Asia]]
* [[Human rights in the Soviet Union]]
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{{colend}}
== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Human Rights In Europe}}
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