Article 18: Innate Human Rights

Chapter IIHigh

Constitution Text

“Human rights and freedoms shall be innate.”

Summary

This article opens Chapter II of the Constitution, "The Human Being and the State". It declares that human rights and freedoms are innate: they belong to every person from birth and are not granted by the state.

Key Points

•Human rights and freedoms are innate.
•Rights originate in the human being, not in the state or in the goodwill of the law.
•It is the first article of Chapter II, "The Human Being and the State".
•It underpins the whole catalogue of rights in Articles 19–37.

Practical Example

When a foreign resident in Lithuania goes to court over a violated right, they do not need to prove the state "gave" them that right; the right to life, liberty or dignity belongs to every person automatically.

Exam Tips

Memorise the exact term: human rights and freedoms are "innate" (prigimtinės). The exam often asks what kind of rights the Constitution recognises, and the correct answer is innate, not "granted by the state".

Art. 19 Art. 21 Art. 28 Art. 29 Art. 30

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