Original scientific paper

“COLLECTIVE” HUMAN RIGHTS FOR PROTECTING MINORITIES?

Georg Lohmann ; Otto-von-Güricke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Deutschland

Abstract

By “collective” human rights we understand the ones that belong to a collective. We should distinguish the individual rights which can be exercised only collectively (suffrage). The demands for “collective” human rights lead to misconceptions and explanatory problems since the universal, egalitarian, and categorical postulate of human rights cannot be equally valid for collectives and individuals. Thus, the protection of minorities’ interests can be solely procured by adopting a restricted definition of individual human rights which necessitates more and better respected social human rights. In some cases, collective rights were designed to protect endangered minorities but were justified by means of equalizing fairness. However, such collective rights are not possible at the level of human rights; they are regulated by special by-laws at the state level. Thus, they are restricted by the requirement that they do not violate individual human rights.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

31203

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/31203

Publication date:

6.12.1999.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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