Keywords
the rule of law
human rights
international law
How to Cite
Abstract
This paper considers the relationships between global international law and democracy as well as between democracy and human rights. Its primary assumption is that some obstacles to democracy are rooted in international law itself. Simultaneously, international law, particularly international human rights law, is also undeniably the flywheel pushing countries towards democratic governance, of which the protection of human rights is an essential element. Therefore, this paper examines the attitude of global international law to democracy and the interplay between democracy and human rights. It also traces whether a human right to democracy arises from international law. This research shows that international law has two faces. The first shows that international law is not conducive to, or at least is indifferent to, democracy. At the same time, there is another face of international law revealed by international human rights law as some pillars of democracy and the rule of law, are protected by human rights treaties. The universal hard and soft international laws and output of human rights bodies show that democracy should go hand in hand with the rule of law and human rights.
References
African Union. (2007), African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. https://au.int/en/treaties/african-charter-democracy-elections-and-governance
Bertotti S. (2019), Separate or inseparable? How discourse interpreting law and politics as separable categories shaped the formation of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review. The International Journal of Human Rights, 23(7), 1140–1165.
Bird A. (2011), Third State Responsibility for Human Rights Violations. The European Journal of International Law Vol. 21 No. 4, 21(4), 883–900.
Centre for Civil and Political Rights. (2021) The Right to Participate in Public Affairs. How to bring this issue to the attention of the Human Rights Committee. https://ccprcentre.org/ccprpages/guidelines-on-the-right-to-participate-in-public-affairs
Convention on Rights and Duties of States adopted by the Seventh International Conference of American States. (1933). LNTS 1936, vol. CLXV, No 3802.
Crawford J. (1994), Democracy and International Law. British Yearbook of International Law, 64(1).
Economist Intelligence. (2023), Democracy Index 2022 Frontline democracy and the battle for Ukraine. https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2022/
European Parliament. (2022), European Parliament resolution of 15 September 2022 on the proposal for a Council decision determining, pursuant to Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union, the existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by
Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded (2018/0902R(NLE)
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0324_EN.html
Filipkowski J. (2023), Demokracja a problem woli ludu. Forum Nauk Społecznych, 1, 59–73.
Franck T.M. (1994), Democracy as a Human Right 26 (1994): Studies in Transnational Legal Policy, 26, 73–102.
Gregg B. (2016), The Human Rights State: Justice Within and Beyond Sovereign Nations. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Hellmeier, S., Cole, R., Grahn, S., Kolvani, P., Lachapelle, J., Lührmann, A., Maerz, S. F., Pillai, S., & Lindberg, S. I. (2021).
State of the world 2020: Autocratization turns viral. Democratization, 28(6), 1053–1074, https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2021.1922390
Hernandez - Połczyńska A. (2019), Procedury specjane Rady Praw Człowieka [Human Rights Council Special Procedures]. Instytut Nauk Prawnych PAN.
Human Rights Commission. (1999), UN Commission on Human Rights, Promotion of the right to democracy. 27 April 1999, E/CN.4/RES/1999/57.
Human Rights Committee (1991), Marshall et al. and the Mikmaq tribal society v. Canada, No. 205/1986, views, 4 November 1991, CCPR/C/43/D/205/1986.
Human Rights Committee. (1996), General Comment No. 25, The right to participate in public affairs, voting rights and the right of equal access to public service (Art. 25), 12 July 1996, CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.7.
Human Rights Committee. (2001), Antonina Ignatane v. Latvia, communication no. 884/1999, views 31 July 2001, CCPR/C/72/D/884/1999.
Human Rights Committee. (2016), Concluding Observations on the Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of Poland, 23 November 2016, CCPR/C/POL/CO/7.
Human Rights Committee. (2018a), Tiina Sanila-Aikio v. Finland, communication no. 2668/2015, views 1 November 2018, CCPR/C/124/D/2668/2015.
Human Rights Committee. (2018b), Mohamed Nasheed v. Republic of Maldives, communications no. 2270/2013 and nos. 2851/2016, views 4 April 2018, CCPR/C/122/D/2851/2016 CCPR/C/72/D/884/1999.
Human Rights Council. (2012), Resolution 19/36, Human rights, democracy and the rule of law, 19 March 2012, A/HRC/19/L.27.
Human Rights Council. (2015), Resolution 28/14, Human rights, democracy and the rule of law, 25 March 2015, A/HRC/RES/28/14.
Human Rights Council. (2021), Resolution 46/4, Human rights, democracy and the rule of law, 23 March 2021, A/HRC/RES/46/4.
ICJ (1986), Nicaragua v. United States of America, Judgment. I.C.J. Reports 1986, p. 14.
ICJ (2005), Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda, Decision, I.C.J. Reports 2005, p. 168.
Kamminga, M. T. (1990), Inter—State Accountability for Violations of Human Rights, [Profesorschrift].
Moltchanova, A. (2011), Human Right to Democracy. In Encyclopaedia of Global Justice (pp. 494–495). Springer Netherlands.
OAS. (2001), Inter-American Democratic Charter, 11 September 2001, OAS General Assembly, OAS Doc. OEA/SerP/AG/Res.l (2001).
Osiatyński, W. (2011), Prawa człowieka i ich granice. Społeczny Instytut Wydawniczy Znak.
UN General Assembly. (1948), Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in
Paris on 10 December 1948, General Assembly resolution 217 A.
UN General Assembly. (1965), Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of Their Independence and Sovereignty, 21 December 1965, A/RES/2131 (XX).
UN General Assembly. (1970). Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, 24 October 1970, A_RES_2625(XXV).
UN General Assembly. (1981), Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference in the Internal Affairs of States, 9 December 1981, A/RES/36/103.
UN General Assembly. (2000), Resolution 55/96, Promoting and consolidating democracy, 4 December 2000, A/55/602/Add. 2 and Corr. 1
UN General Assembly. (2015), Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 25 September 2015, A/RES/70/1.
United Nations. (1945), The Charter of the United Nations, 26 June 1945, San Francisco,
United Nations. (1966), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, New York, 16 December 1966, 999 UNTS171;1057 UNTS 407.
United Nations. (1979). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, New York, 18 December 1979. 1249 UNTS 13.
United Nations. (2006), Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 13 December 2006, 2515 UNTS 3.
Varayudej S. (2006), A Right to Democracy in International Law: Its Implications for Asia. Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law, 12(1), 1–18.
Vattel E. de. (2008), The law of nations, or, Principles of the law of nature, applied to the conduct and affairs of nations and sovereigns, with three early essays on the origin and nature of natural law and on luxury (B. Kapossy & R. Whatmore, Eds.). Liberty Fund.
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 18 April 1961. (1961). UNTS, vol. 500, p. 95.
Waśko-Owsiejczuk E. (2022), Demokracja – wybrane aspekty problemów definicyjnych i argumentacyjnych. Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, Sectio K - Politologia, XXIX(2), 21–37.
Wieruszewski R. (2012), Artykuł 25.prawa obywatelskie. In R. Wieruszewski & A. Gliszczyńska-Grabias (Eds.), Międzynarodowy pakt praw obywatelskich (osobistych) i politycznych: Komentarz. Wolters Kluwer Polska.
World Conference on Human Rights. (1993), Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action Adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna on 25 June 1993.
World Justice Project. (2023), What is the Rule of Law? https://worldjusticeproject.org/about-us/overview/what-rule-law
Zaleśny J. (2022), Democracy versus the rule of law in conditions of disturbed political balance. Scientific Journal of Bielsko-Biala and Law, 26(3), 55–60.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 Barbara Mikołajczyk