Redefining the idea of human rights

Abstract

Human Rights are complex social phenomenon that includes political, legal, cultural and economic dimensions and escapes a simple definition. Concise retrospective of human rights documents of historic value as well as natural law doctrine was used as a frame for determination of political importance and function of human rights. Natural law definition of human rights was completed by positivist critique. Human rights are seen as a legal expression of interactions of individual needs and expectations on the one hand, and readiness and capabilities of a state to satisfy these needs and expectations and to create social framework for their satisfaction on the other. The relationship between human rights and culture was discussed. A thesis on equality of human rights in all different jurisdictions was qualified by recognition of certain space - a margin of appreciation - left to states for adaptation of international standards of human rights to local culture in a process of implementation of abstract and general provisions of human right treaties in domestic law. An appearance of international organizations that interfere in human rights as well as an increase of extraterritorial effects of state activities is a challenge to classic legal understanding of a human right as the legal relationship between a state and individuals under its territorial jurisdiction. International humanitarian law protects certain human rights of individual outside territorial jurisdiction of states in war. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has started to consider extraterritorial effects of state activities in respect of economic, social and cultural rights. International environmental law obliges states to take care of extraterritorial effects of activities undertaken under their jurisdictions. The time has come for recognition of an obligation of a state to respect human rights of individuals outside its territorial jurisdiction who are affected by its extraterritorial activities or by extraterritorial effects of activities undertaken on its territory. It seems that an obligation of international organization to respect human rights of individual affected by its acts is not disputable.