Human rights

Human rights

The Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA 1998) was introduced to give domestic effect to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), making the Convention rights enforceable in domestic law.

The ECHR is an international treaty reflecting the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. The UK ratified the ECHR in 1951, but it only became binding in UK law with the introduction of HRA 1998.

Convention rights

The ECHR sets out the rights and freedoms which the parties are required to respect:

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Article 2—right to life
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Article 3—prohibition of torture
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Article 4—prohibition of slavery and forced labour
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Article 5—right to liberty and security
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Article 6—right to a fair trial
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Article 7—no punishment without law
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Article 8—right to respect for private and family life
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Article 9—freedom of thought, conscience and religion
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Article 10—freedom of expression
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Article 11—freedom of association
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Article 12—right to marry
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Article 14—prohibition from discrimination
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Article 16—restriction on political activities of aliens
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Article 17—prohibition of abuse of rights
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Article 18—limitation on use of restrictions on rights
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First Protocol: Article 1—protection of property
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First

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