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Activity 1. Skim through the text to get an overview of its contents
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| In the post Cold War world nearly all states, in all regions of the world at all levels of development, proclaim their commitment to human rights. And with the continuing spread of political liberalization and democratization, an ever-growing number of governments are being pressured at home and from abroad to live up to these commitments. In today's world, a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations is widely perceived to undermine a regime's national and international legitimacy. This situation, however, is historically unprecedented. Human rights has been an established subject of international relations for only about half a century. Prior to World War II, even genocidal massacres such as Russian pogroms against the Jews and the Turkish slaughter of Armenians were met with little more than polite statements of disapproval. Less egregious violations typically were not even considered a fit subject for diplomatic conversation. How a government treated its own citizens in its own territory was considered a matter of sovereign domestic jurisdiction. In fact, individual states and the international community were considered to be under an international legal obligation notto intervene in such matters. Even the notoriously "idealist" covenant of the League of Nations fails to mention human rights as a subject of legitimate international concern. The Holocaust, in which German Nazis systematically attempted to eliminate European Jewry, brought human rights into the mainstream of international relations. Shocking as Nazi atrocities were, the international community lacked the legal and political language to condemn them. Massacring one's own citizens simply was not an established international legal offence. The German government may have been liable under the laws of war for its treatment of citizens in occupied territories, but in killing German nationals it was merely exercising its sovereign rights. And traditional "realist" diplomacy, which defined the national interest in terms of state power, could find no material interest that was threatened by the barbarous treatment of foreign civilians. The Nuremberg War Crimes Trials (1945-1946) introduced the novel charge of crimes against humanity. For the first time, officials were held legally accountable to the international community for offences against individual citizens, not states, and individuals who in many cases were nationals, not foreigners. It was in the United Nations, however, that human rights really emerged as a subject of international relations. Human rights have a prominent place in the UN Charter adopted in 1945. And the new organization moved rapidly to elaborate authoritative international human rights norms. On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This comprehensive list of rights codified the emerging view that the way in which states treat their own citizens is not only a legitimate international concern but subject to international standards. With the rise of the Cold War, however, human rights increasingly became just another weapon of ideological struggle. Just as the United States was willing to accept the most vicious human rights practices in "friendly" anti-Communist regimes, the Soviet Union was ready to use force when necessary to assure "friendly" totalitarian regimes in its sphere of influence. The United Nations is not a world government standing above state, but an intergovernmental organization. It can do nothing that its members — sovereign states — do not authorize. And during the first two decades of the Cold War, neither bloc was willing to allow the UN to do much at all in the field of human rights. | proclaim a commitment to human rights проголошувати відданість правам людини spread of political liberalization and democratization — поширення політичної лiберaлізації та демократизації an ever-growing number of governments — усе більша кількість урядів live up to these commitments —жити відповідно до цих зобов'язань gross human rights violations — грубі порушення прав людини perceive — сприймати undermine a regime's legitimacy — підривати законність режиму рrior to World War II — до другої світової війни genocidal massacres — геноцидне нищення /масові вбивства polite statements of disapproval — ввічливі несхвальні заяви egregious violation — кричуще порушення intervene, v — втручатися covenant — пакт attempt to eliminate European Jewry — намагатися ліквідувати європейське єврейство atrocitу — жорстокість condemn, v —засуджувати liable under the laws of war — відповідальний за воєнними законами treatment — поводження threaten, v — погрожувати barbarous treatment of foreign civilians — варварське поводження з іноземним цивільним населенням novel charge of crimes against humanity — нове обвинувачення у злочинах проти людства hold legally accountable — визнати відповідальним перед законом international community — міжнародне співтовариство elaborate international human rights norms — розробляти міжнародні норми прав людини Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Загальна декларація прав людини comprehensive list of rights — вичерпний перелік legitimate concern — законне занепокоєння weapon of ideological struggle — зброя ідеологічної боротьби intergovernmental organization —міжурядова організація |
Activity 2. Read the text carefully paying attention to the words and phrases in bold. Check your knowledge of the basic vocabulary looking at their Ukrainian equivalents in the margin.
Activity 3. Answer the following questions using the prompt in brackets:
1. What issues does the subject of human rights raise? (neither simple nor clear) 2. What is the duty of states? (to govern according to the rule of law and to respect the rights and freedoms of individual citizens) 3. Why do citizens need to be vigilant? (in order to secure a transparent and accountable government). 4. Do you agree that the denial of the most basic civil and political rights and freedoms is the result of economic under-development? (the consequence of abuses committed by individuals or groups). 5. Do you agree that economic, social and cultural rights should come before civil and political rights; that a person's right to eat is more important than another person's freedom of expression? (all rights depend on each other).
Activity 4. Study the following words and phrases and role play the conference on human rights issues:
| good human rights record | Добра репутація в галузі прав людини |
| by virtue of (something) | Завдяки (чомусь) |
| ensure rights and freedoms | Забезпечувати права і свободи |
| dignity, n | Гідність |
| foundations of freedom, justice and peace | Підвалини свободи, справедливості та миру |
| disregard and contempt for human rights | Нехтування та зневага до прав людини |
| as a last resort | як останній засіб |
| compelled to have recourse | Змушені вдаватися |
| rule of law | Верховенство права |
| belong (to), v | Належати |
| deserve, v | Заслуговувати, бути гідним |
| be entitled to a fair trial | Мати право на справедливий суд |
| lose or surrender the right | втрачати або відмовлятися від права |
| be presumed innocent until proved guilty | вважатися невинуватим, доки не буде доведено вину |
| convict, v | засуджувати |
| detain, v | затримувати |
| torture, v | катувати |
| rape, v | ґвалтувати |
| murder, v | вбивати |
| commit grave crimes | вчиняти тяжкі злочини |
| an independent and impartial tribunal | незалежний та безсторонній суд |
| be sentenced according to law | бути засудженим відповідно до закону |
| find guilty | визнавати винуватим |
| protect from discrimination | захищати від дискримінації |
| tarnish, v | ганьбити, плямувати |
| promote observance of human rights | сприяти дотриманню прав людини |
| condemn, v | осуджувати |
| stop the atrocities | припиняти звірства/ лиходійство/ |
| improve, v | покращувати |
| available means | наявні засоби |
| abuse with impunity | безкарно зловживати |
| impose economic sanctions on a country | накладати економічні санкції на країну |
| harmful to society | шкідливий для суспільства |
Now imagine you are professor of the International Institute of Human Rights based in Strasbourg. You have been invited for a meeting with law students who are asking you questions.
Дата публикования: 2015-02-18; Прочитано: 492 | Нарушение авторского права страницы | Мы поможем в написании вашей работы!
