Suggested activities

с Write down all the unanimous decisions of the judges.

d Translate the other two decisions into Russian.

e Repeat what the opinion of the British judge was.

f What's your opinion?

g Agree or disagree and substantiate your point of view: The Tyrer case seems to be a storm in a tea-cup.

h Discussion in class. Be ready to discuss with your group mates the following topics:

• The most important human rights.

• International organisations defending human rights.

Section 2: The 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights

Text 1

December 10 1998 marked the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since 1948, the idea embodied in that document helped accelerate the independence movements in the developing world and triggered the civil rights revolution in the Western world. It provided legitimacy for the struggle against tyranny all over the world and played a crucial role in bringing down some undesirable regimes. Not a bad record for one idea. Only the concept of individual liberty at the end of the 18th century and of equality 100 years later have exerted a comparable impact on mankind. And whereas the political application of the original ideas of liberty and equality resulted in more exploitation, dictatorships and bloodshed, the idea of human rights secured for a great part of mankind orderly freedom, equality before the law and more equal opportunities than humanity had ever had before.

And yet a funereal aura hovered about that year's celebrations. For the industrialized West, expanding exports to China seem to be more important than defending the human rights of its citizens. In the post-communist world many former dissidents who entered politics have traded their interest in human rights for support of "law and order" and, quite often, populist, anti-minority positions. Even in the United States a growing number of politicians perceive human rights as a subversive liberal idea fueling to many demands for guaranteed benefits and for toleration of nonconformist behaviour at home and resulting in too many costly adventures abroad.

The very idea of human rights is complex. In fact, an international consensus has never formed as to what the concept includes. During the cold war, the West stressed civil liberties and political rights enforceable by courts. Communist regimes emphasized social and economic rights. It seemed for a while that the political definition had emerged victorious, but in the past decade leaders of third world countries have formulated a new variant - the «right to development», which consists of a claim to the transfer of resources, capital and technology from rich Northern countries to poor Southern ones.

§ Vocabulary notes

Word study

a Form nouns from the following verbs:

to declare –.................................... to develop –.........................................

to help –......................................... to trigger –............................................

to accelerate –............................... to legitimate –.......................................

to move –....................................... to support –..........................................

b Match the English and Russian equivalents:

с Form the adjectives with the negative meaning:

desirable –........................... comparable -...........................................

dependent –......................... equal –....................................................

human –.............................. orderly –...............................................

d Underline the roots of the following words:

e Translate the following word combinations, starting with the last word, into Russian:

the independence movements...............................................................................................................................

the civil rights resolution......................................................................................................................................

that year's celebrations.........................................................................................................................................

anti-minority positions.........................................................................................................................................

f Underline the Participles, write down what Participles they are and translate the following into Russian:

the idea embodied in the document.................................................................................................................

expanding exports............................................................................................................................................

a growing number of politicians......................................................................................................................

guaranteed benefits..........................................................................................................................................

the developing world.......................................................................................................................................

g Encircle the ing-forms, write down what parts of sentences they are and translate the sentences into Russian:

1 It played a crucial role in bringing down some undersirable regimes............................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................

2 For them exports to China seem more important than defending the human rights of the country................

.............................................................................................................................................................................

3 Even in the USA many politicians perceive human rights as a subversive liberal idea fueling too many demands for guaranteed benefits...............................................................................................................................

h Underline the predicates, write down the forms (Tense, Voice) of the verbs and translate the sentences into Russian:

1 The concepts of individual liberty and equality have exerted a comparable impact on mankind.....................

..............................................................................................................................................................................

2 The idea of human rights secured more equal opportunities than humanity had ever had before...................

..............................................................................................................................................................................

3 Many former dissidents have traded their interests in human rights for support of «law and order»..............

..............................................................................................................................................................................

4 An international concept has never formed as to what the concept of human rights include..........................

..............................................................................................................................................................................

i Explain the meaning of the following in English:

• to trigger a revolution

• a funereal aura hovered about that year's celebrations

• this idea fuels too many demands

§ Suggested activities

j Write out all the positive effects of the Declaration.

k Write down the drawbacks the Declaration has, to your mind:

1..........................................................................................................................................................................

2..........................................................................................................................................................................

l Act out a short discussion with your group-mates of the concept of human rights.

Text 2

The problem is that the right to development not only won't work, the demand for it also serves to blur responsibility for the economic deprivation of nations. In Africa, dictators and military leaders used the idea of traditional supremacy of society over an individual to destroy local communities, to rob their own populations and turn great parts of the continent into never-ending tribal wars zones.

The right to development has the support of the majority of members of the United Nations, so it is no wonder that many people in the West want to take human rights off the international agenda. The very idea of human rights becomes meaningless when rights are confused with needs, claims with entitlements, judicial processes with the goals of public policy, and individual rights with demands made by state leaders on the international community.

Disposing of the idea of human rights would be one way of dealing with confusion. But what to do then about the continued mass violation of human rights in much of the non- Western world? A better approach would be to return to the original meaning of human rights and accept that not every claim that invokes that phrase should come under the purview of an international rights protection regime.

What should be claimed as universal human rights are the minimum standards that can assure personal dignity regardless of cultural differences. Freedom of conscience and expression, freedom from arbitrary deprivation of liberty; freedom from torture, some guarantees of due process, right to assembly and freedom of association are obvious. Once the short list is ready, adherence to it should become the absolute prerequisite of behaviour required for membership in the international community of nations and for eligibility for all foreign aid-induding assistance from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Victims of abuse should be heard worldwide and receive international help. Sanctions could be imposed in cases of obvious violations. And when violations border on genocide the international community should be able to intervene.

Vocabulary notes

Words and Grammar

a Mark the meaning in which the following words are used in the text, with a tick:

b Explain the meaning of the following in English:

• to blur responsibility

• traditional supremacy of society over an individual

• to take human rights off the international agenda

• much of the non-Western world

• adherence to this list should become the absolute prerequisite of behaviour required for membership

• victims of abuse should be heard worldwide

с Write down if to is a preposition or a particle, used with infinitives, and translate the sentences into Russian:

1 The problem is that the idea of the right to development won't work.............................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................

2 It serves to blur responsibility for the economic deprivation of nations.........................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................

3 The dictators used the idea of supremacy over an individual to destroy local communities...........................

..............................................................................................................................................................................

4 But what to do then about the continued mass violation of human rights in the non-Western world?..........

..............................................................................................................................................................................

5 A better approach would be to return to the original meaning of human rights..............................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................

d Write down a few short sentences with the following word combinations on the basis of the text:

to rob their own populations...............................................................

never-ending tribal wars zones...........................................................

it is no wonder that..............................................................................

the idea becomes meaningless............................................................

to claim smth as universal human rights.............................................

e Write out all the words and word combinations associated with human rights, from the text.

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