Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Private Translation)

Eleutherus Hēsychius Basiliī included in Sample

2026-07-21 About 1800 words 9 minutes

Preamble

Recognizing that the inherent worth and the equal, unalienable rights of every person in the human family are what make freedom, justice, and peace possible in the world;

Recognizing that when human rights are ignored or treated with contempt, the result is barbarous acts that offend the conscience of humankind, and that the highest hope of ordinary people everywhere is the coming of a world where they may speak and believe as they choose, and live free from fear and want;

Recognizing that, if people are not to be driven to rise up against tyranny and oppression as a last resort, their rights must be safeguarded by the rule of law;

Recognizing that it is necessary to encourage friendly relations among nations;

Recognizing that the peoples of the United Nations have reaffirmed, in the Charter, their commitment to fundamental human rights, to the dignity and worth of every human person, and to the equal rights of men and women, and have resolved to promote social progress and better standards of living in a wider freedom;

Recognizing that the Member States have pledged themselves to work together with the United Nations to secure universal respect for, and compliance with, human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Recognizing that a common understanding of what these rights and freedoms are is essential if this pledge is to be fully carried out;

Now, therefore,

The General Assembly

Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard for all peoples and all nations to strive toward, so that every individual and every institution in society, keeping this Declaration always in mind, shall work, through teaching and education, to promote respect for these rights and freedoms, and shall seek, by progressive measures at both the national and international levels, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance—both among the peoples of the Member States themselves and among the peoples of the territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1

Every human being is born free, and equal to every other in dignity and in rights. Endowed with reason and conscience, each ought to treat all others in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without any distinction whatsoever—whether on grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or any other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, legal, or international standing of the country or territory to which a person belongs, regardless of whether that country or territory is independent, under trusteeship, non-self-governing, or subject in any other way to a limitation of its sovereignty.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, to liberty, and to the security of their person.

Article 4

No one shall be held as a slave or subjected to servitude; slavery and the slave trade in all their forms are prohibited.

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture, nor to treatment or punishment that is cruel, inhuman, or degrading.

Article 6

Everyone has the right, wherever they may be, to be recognized as a person before the law.

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled, without any discrimination, to the equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination that would violate this Declaration, and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national courts for acts that violate the fundamental rights granted to them by the constitution or by law.

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.

Article 10

Everyone is entitled, in full equality, to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in any proceeding concerning their rights and obligations or any criminal charge brought against them.

Article 11

Everyone charged with a criminal offence is presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial, at which all guarantees necessary for their defence have been provided.
No one shall be held guilty of any criminal offence on account of any act or omission that did not, at the time it occurred, constitute a criminal offence under national or international law. Nor shall any penalty be imposed that is heavier than the one that applied at the time the offence was committed.

Article 12

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home, or correspondence, nor to attacks on their honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13

Everyone has the right to move freely and to choose their residence within the borders of each state.
Everyone has the right to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country.

Article 14

Everyone has the right, when fleeing persecution, to seek and to enjoy asylum in other countries.
This right may not be invoked where the prosecution genuinely arises from a non-political crime or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15

Everyone has the right to a nationality.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their nationality, nor denied the right to change their nationality.

Article 16

Men and women of full age, without any restriction on grounds of race, nationality, or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights concerning marriage, during marriage, and at its dissolution.
Marriage may be entered into only with the free and full consent of the two persons who intend to marry.
The family is the natural and fundamental unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and by the State.

Article 17

Everyone has the right to own property, alone or together with others.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their property.

Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. This right includes the freedom to change their religion or belief, and the freedom, either alone or in community with others, in public or in private, to express their religion or belief through teaching, practice, worship, and observance.

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive, and share information and ideas through any medium, regardless of borders.

Article 20

Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
No one shall be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21

Everyone has the right to take part in the government of their country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in their country.
The will of the people shall be the foundation of the authority of government. This will shall be expressed through periodic and genuine elections, based on universal and equal suffrage, and conducted by secret ballot or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to the realization—through national effort and international cooperation, and in accordance with the institutions and resources of each State—of the economic, social, and cultural rights indispensable to their dignity and the free development of their personality.

Article 23

Everyone has the right to work, to freely choose their employment, to enjoy just and favourable working conditions, and to be protected against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Whoever works has the right to just and favourable remuneration, sufficient to provide for themselves and their family a life worthy of human dignity, supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of their interests.

Article 24

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limits on working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care, and necessary social services; and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or any other loss of livelihood due to circumstances beyond their control.
Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born within or outside of marriage, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26

Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least at the elementary and fundamental levels. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally accessible, and higher education shall be open to all equally, on the basis of merit.
Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance, and friendship among all nations, racial and religious groups, and shall support the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27

Everyone has the right freely to take part in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts, and to share in the progress of science and its benefits.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests arising from any scientific, literary, or artistic work of which they are the author.

Article 28

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29

Everyone has duties to the community, for only within the community is the free and full development of their personality possible.
In the exercise of their rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law, and only for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others, and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order, and the general welfare in a democratic society.
These rights and freedoms may under no circumstances be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30

Nothing in this Declaration shall be interpreted as implying, for any State, group, or individual, any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.