Editing Civil liberties (section)

==Europe==

===European Convention on Human Rights===
The [[European Convention on Human Rights]], to which almost all European countries belong (apart from [[Belarus]]), enumerates a number of civil liberties and is of varying constitutional force in different European states.

===Czech Republic===
Following the [[Velvet Revolution]], a constitutional overhaul took place in [[Czech and Slovak Federal Republic|Czechoslovakia]]. In 1991, the [[Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms]] was adopted, having the same legal standing as the [[Constitution of the Czech Republic|Constitution]]. The Czech Republic has kept the Charter in its entirety following the [[dissolution of Czechoslovakia]] as Act No. 2/1993 Coll. (Constitution being No. 1).

===France===
France's 1789 [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]] listed many civil liberties and is of constitutional force.

===Germany===
The [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|German constitution]], the "Grundgesetz" (lit. "Base Law"), starts with an elaborate listing of civil liberties and states in sec. 1 "The dignity of man is inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all public authority." Following the "[[Austrian System]]", the people have the right to appeal to the [[Federal Constitutional Court of Germany]] ("Bundesverfassungsgericht") if they feel their civil rights are being violated. This procedure has shaped German law considerably over the years.

===United Kingdom===
{{Main article|Civil liberties in the United Kingdom}}
Civil liberties in the [[United Kingdom]] date back to [[Magna Carta]] in 1215 and 17th century [[English common law|common law]] and [[statute law]], such as the 1628 [[Petition of Right]], the [[Habeas Corpus Act 1679]] and the [[Bill of Rights 1689]]. Parts of these laws remain in statute today and are supplemented by other legislation and conventions that collectively form the uncodified [[Constitution of the United Kingdom]]. In addition, the United Kingdom is a signatory to the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] which covers both [[human rights]] and civil liberties. The [[Human Rights Act 1998]] incorporates the great majority of Convention rights directly into UK law.

In June 2008 the then Shadow Home Secretary [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]] [[David Davis by-election campaign, 2008|resigned his parliamentary seat]] over what he described as the "erosion of civil liberties" by the then Labour government, and was re-elected on a civil liberties platform (although he was not opposed by candidates of other major parties). This was in reference to anti-terrorism laws and in particular the extension to pre-trial detention, that is perceived by many to be an infringement of ''[[habeas corpus]]'' established in Magna Carta.

===Russia===
The [[Constitution of Russia|Constitution of the Russian Federation]] guarantees in theory many of the same rights and civil liberties as the U.S. except to [[bear arms]], i.e.: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association and assembly, freedom to choose language, to due process, to a fair trial, privacy, freedom to vote, right for education, etc. However, human rights groups like [[Amnesty International]] have warned that [[Vladimir Putin]] has seriously curtailed [[freedom of expression]], [[freedom of assembly]] and [[freedom of association]] amidst growing [[authoritarianism]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/27/russia.humanrights|title=Putin rolling back civil rights, warns Amnesty|date=February 27, 2008|website=the Guardian}}</ref>