{"id":78951,"date":"2026-06-10T10:16:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/?p=78951"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:24:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:24:53","slug":"human-rights-then-and-now-keynote-speech-at-the-2026-juri-schmidt-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/human-rights-then-and-now-keynote-speech-at-the-2026-juri-schmidt-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Human rights then and now \u2014 Keynote speech at the 2026 Juri Schmidt Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ralf F\u00fccks and conference organiser Anastasia Burakova.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In memory of the Russian human rights lawyer Yuri Schmidt, an annual conference has been held in Berlin since 2017. This year, LibMod founding director Ralf F\u00fccks delivered the keynote speech, in which he warned that author\u00adi\u00adtarian regimes are on the rise and that anti-liberal senti\u00adments are growing even in democ\u00adracies. He called on human rights defenders to unite across borders.<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]It is an honor for me to open this year\u2019s Juri Schmidt Conference. I had the privilege of getting to know Juri Markovich personally. He was a kind man, wise and modest, a coura\u00adgeous advocate of human rights as an expression and guarantor of human dignity.<\/p>\n

During the Soviet era, Yuri defended dissi\u00addents and civil rights activists. He viewed the collapse of the Soviet Union as a historical gift. But he was aware that this did not mean the fight for the rule of law and democracy had been won\u2014rather, it had only begun.[\/vc_column_text][vc_message]The annual Yury Schmidt Conference has been held in Berlin since 2017. For details in English, go to the conference homepage<\/a> and click \u201cEN\u201d.[\/vc_message][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]We first met him when he was coordi\u00adnating the defense of Mikhail Khodor\u00adkovsky<\/strong> after Mikhail had been arrested and charged as an opponent of Putin.<\/p>\n

What would Juri Markovich say today, now that the begin\u00adnings of democracy in Russia have been completely trampled and replaced by a new author\u00adi\u00adtarian regime? Well, I suppose he would do what he always did: defend those who stand up for human rights.<\/p>\n

If I may, I would like to briefly outline the very concept of human rights <\/strong>in honor of Yuri Markovich. It is built on the belief that all individuals inher\u00adently possess funda\u00admental rights and freedoms by virtue of being human<\/strong>. This idea has evolved over thousands of years.<\/p>\n

Ancient civiliza\u00adtions, such as the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, the Athenian democracy, and Roman natural law, already recog\u00adnized certain rights and respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adities, laying early groundwork.<\/p>\n

Various religious philoso\u00adphies empha\u00adsized the dignity of <\/strong>human beings<\/strong>. This funda\u00admental idea is based on the belief that all people are children of God and therefore incor\u00adporate something divine. Strictly speaking, anyone who despises and mistreats other humans is committing blasphemy<\/p>\n

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of Enlight\u00adenment<\/strong>. Thinkers like John Locke argued for indis\u00adpensable natural rights, equality before the law and the concept of citizenship. These ideas fueled the American Revolution (1776) and the French Revolution (1789), which empha\u00adsized individual liberties.<\/p>\n

The first codified set of funda\u00admental rights was the famous British Magna Carta<\/strong> in 1215, which stated limita\u00adtions on royal power and empha\u00adsized legal rights.<\/p>\n

In 1776, the American Decla\u00adration of Indepen\u00addence<\/strong> asserted the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.<\/p>\n

It was followed by The Decla\u00adration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen<\/strong>, adopted during the French Revolution in 1789. It is still the funda\u00admental document that outlines core principles of human rights and civil liberties. Let\u2019s briefly recall them:<\/p>\n

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  1. Human Rights are universal<\/strong>: The decla\u00adration asserts that all men are born free and equal in rights, empha\u00adsizing that these rights are inherent and universal.<\/li>\n
  2. The concept of Natural Rights<\/strong>: It recog\u00adnizes certain indis\u00adpensable rights, such as liberty, property, security, and resis\u00adtance to oppression, as funda\u00admental to human dignity.<\/li>\n
  3. Sover\u00adeignty of the People<\/strong>: The decla\u00adration estab\u00adlishes that the source of all political power resides in the people, asserting their right to govern themselves.<\/li>\n
  4. Equality Before the Law<\/strong>: It states that all citizens are entitled to equal protection under the law and must be treated equally, without discrimination.<\/li>\n
  5. Freedom of Thought and Expression<\/strong>: The decla\u00adration affirms the rights to freedom of speech, religion, and the press, under\u00adlining the impor\u00adtance of individual liberties.<\/li>\n
  6. The Right to a Fair Trial<\/strong>: It empha\u00adsizes the right to a fair trial and due process, ensuring that justice is admin\u00adis\u00adtered fairly and impartially.<\/li>\n
  7. The principle of Public Account\u00adability<\/strong>: The decla\u00adration stipu\u00adlates that public officials are accountable to the citizens and must act in accor\u00addance with the general will.<\/li>\n
  8. The Basic Right to Property<\/strong>: It recog\u00adnizes property as a natural right, stating that property is an invio\u00adlable and sacred right.<\/li>\n
  9. The Right of Resis\u00adtance to Oppression<\/strong>: The decla\u00adration endorses the right of citizens to resist oppression and tyranny, affirming the impor\u00adtance of individual agency in the face of injustice.<\/li>\n
  10. And finally the principle of Legislative Authority<\/strong>: It states that laws must express the general will and that all citizens have the right to partic\u00adipate in the legislative process either personally or through representatives.These principles laid the groundwork for the modern concept of individual as well as collective human rights.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In the 19th and 20th Century<\/strong> the abolition of slavery<\/strong>, the women\u2019s struggle<\/strong> for equality and the workers movement<\/strong> expanded the scope of equal rights to those who previ\u00adously had been excluded.<\/p>\n

    The aftermath of World War II prompted the global recog\u00adnition of human rights, at least on paper. They were enshrined in the Universal Decla\u00adration of Human Rights<\/strong>, adopted in 1948 by the newly estab\u00adlished United Nations. This landmark document outlines rights and freedoms applicable to all people, empha\u00adsizing dignity, equality, and the principle of non-discrimination.<\/p>\n

    In 1966, the decla\u00adration was extended by the Covenants on Civil and Political Rights & Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights<\/strong>, detailing oblig\u00ada\u00adtions of states in fulfilling these rights.<\/p>\n

    Since then, the concept of human rights continues to evolve, with movements addressing issues like racial equality, gender rights, LGBTQ rights, and the rights of indigenous peoples.<\/p>\n

    Human rights are not a static set of rules<\/strong>; they continue to evolve under the influence of new cultural, social, and political ideas and movements.<\/p>\n

    That is the success story<\/strong>. But we all know that democ\u00adratic progress has never been a linear process. Histor\u00adi\u00adcally, there have been severe setbacks, repeated periods of repression, and there have always been conflicting trends.<\/p>\n

    The enforcement of inter\u00adna\u00adtional law<\/strong> ultimately depends on the good or bad will of states. This also applies to efforts to establish transna\u00adtional juris\u00addiction<\/strong>, which, too, relies on the willingness of nation-states to cooperate. Although human rights are formally recog\u00adnized by almost all states, author\u00adi\u00adtarian powers interpret them in a way that effec\u00adtively perverts them.<\/p>\n

    Today, we are once again facing an era of anti-liberal trends.<\/strong> Globally, the number of stable democ\u00adracies is declining. Author\u00adi\u00adtarian regimes are on the rise. China is emerging as a new world power. Dark times prevail in Russia, exacer\u00adbated by the brutal war of aggression against Ukraine<\/strong>, an endless stream of all kinds of human rights viola\u00adtions: Massacres of civilians, torture, the abduction of children, the targeted bombing of residential areas, and the systematic destruction of Ukraine\u2019s livelihoods.<\/p>\n

    At the same time, the Iranian regime<\/strong> has massacred tens of thousands of people who took to the streets to demand freedom and human rights. In many places, violence against civilians, torture and forced displacement are once again widespread practices.<\/p>\n

    Even In many democ\u00adratic countries, anti-liberal senti\u00adments are on the rise<\/strong>. Under President Trump, the U.S. is turning against the liberal order it has defended for so long. Democ\u00adratic parties and insti\u00adtu\u00adtions are losing public trust. New digital media have become sources of disin\u00adfor\u00admation and political radicalization.<\/p>\n

    Global refugee movements are increasing, while at the same time the rights of refugees are being increas\u00adingly restricted. We can observe this in Germany as well. Polit\u00adi\u00adcally perse\u00adcuted men and women face increasing diffi\u00adculty in finding a safe haven. And even those already living in exile are threatened by the long arm of the Kremlin and other author\u00adi\u00adtarian regimes.<\/p>\n

    All these trends make this conference even more important. Human rights defenders must unite across borders.<\/strong> This applies to civil society as well as to democ\u00adratic govern\u00adments. We have to build a global alliance of democ\u00adracies. We must become more resilient\u2014militarily, econom\u00adi\u00adcally, and polit\u00adi\u00adcally. And we must not succumb to pessimism but should keep confident that freedom and human rights will ultimately prevail over oppression and violence.<\/p>\n

    Thank you very much for your attention!<\/p>\n

    \"Textende\"[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Hat Ihnen unser Beitrag gefallen? Dann spenden Sie doch einfach und bequem \u00fcber unser Spendentool. Sie unter\u00adst\u00fctzen damit die publizis\u00adtische Arbeit von LibMod.<\/p>\n

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