Today, on the anniversary of the entry into force of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Protector of Citizens, Mr. Zoran Pašalić underscored that human rights should not be interpreted as an abstract notion but as specific problems or situations that an individual or a group has in the society.
“Statements, phrases or reports that are often poured at us with no specific solution to a specific problem, be it an individual one or a problem of certain groups, are not human rights. A human right is, in essence, responding to the problems that an individual or a group has in everyday life. Addressing these problems is human rights protection", Pašalić has said.
The Protector of Citizens stated that he strongly insisted and would insist on absolute respect for human rights and their interpretation, pointing out that the protection of human rights meant respect for all the rights of each individual or group as well as all other freedoms that might be denied.
"I remind you that the state has a stronghold in the European Convention to derogate from certain rights in emergencies. That is why I am asking, as I have done so far, that all this be reduced to the necessary minimum in order for the predominant interest of an individual or a group to come to the fore", said Mr. Pašalić.
The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms entered into force on 18 May 1954.