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November 24, 2025

Human dignity in the Iranian Constitution / Hossein Ahmadi Nejad

There is no Farsi text provided to translate. Please provide the text for an accurate translation.H-A-Niaz
Hossein Ahmadi’s need.

The most important concern of the law is to pay attention to and consider human dignity, which is expressed in the form of duties and responsibilities for the government and the nation; meaning that the red line of every law will be human dignity. No institution, organization, or individual has the right to violate or infringe upon human dignity. Human dignity is the most sacred pillar for the protection and preservation of human beings. Based on this principle, all legal schools have been established.

The Renaissance brought about a great transformation in this regard, as the adoption of the French Revolution’s Constitution and Declaration of the Rights of Man can be mentioned, which later influenced the ideas of Rousseau, Hobbes, John Locke, and others in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The elevation of human rights in the light of the progressive principle of human dignity took shape, and all nations committed themselves to respect and adhere to it in the United Nations Charter.

Based on this, the supplementary Constitutional Law expressed the general principles of human dignity, which was considered a valuable matter at that time. With the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the third chapter of the Constitution was renamed as the “Chapter of the Rights of the Nation” from Article 19 to Article 42, which was derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 of this law is interpreted in line with Article 2 of the Declaration, although in other principles of the Constitution, human dignity can also be mentioned. Article 22 of the Constitution deals with the dignity of life, property, occupation, and other rights of Iranian citizens and their immunity from attack. Therefore, according to the explicit statement of the Constitution, human dignity holds a high position in the Constitution, and this is also reflected in ordinary laws, such as the Civil Law or Criminal Procedure and Punishment Law.

However, what is important is the adherence to the law and its enforcement. Human dignity requires belief in it and its meticulous implementation. On the other hand, one of the main goals of respecting human dignity is the establishment and approval of laws based on fair trials. Dealing with lawsuits and paying attention to the plaintiffs must be based on fair trials. One of the fundamental pillars of human dignity is fair trials. The modern criminal procedure law has taken good steps towards achieving this important matter, but many laws still need to be amended and coordinated with this important issue. On the other hand, is there a conflict in this area or not? This is a question that experts have answered and must be addressed in specialized articles. But the reality is that fair trials, equality, easy access to judicial justice, the rule of law, etc. are all essential components of any good law, and their realization will lead to the elevation of human dignity and values. The criterion for a good law is attention to human dignity

Created By: Hossein Ahmadi Niaz
June 22, 2016

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