Fundamental Rights: Thought, Religion, and Association

Freedom of Thought and Expression

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing, in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of their choice.

2. The exercise of the right in the foregoing paragraph shall not be subject to prior censorship but to subsequent liability, which shall be expressly established by law and are necessary to ensure:

• a) Respect for the rights or reputations of others
• b) The protection of national security, public order, health, or morals

Freedom of Religion

Religious freedom, or freedom of conscience, is a fundamental right that relates to the choice of every human being to choose their religion, to choose none (irreligion), or to not believe in or validate the existence of a God (atheism and agnosticism) and to exercise that belief publicly, without being the victim of oppression, discrimination, or attempts to change it.

This concept goes beyond mere religious tolerance, which allows, as an ex-gratia grant, the exercise of religions other than the official denominational situations of the Old Regime.

In modern democracies, the state usually guarantees religious freedom to all its citizens, but in practice, the choice of belief is usually given by family and social mores, often associating certain societies with certain religions. Besides, situations of religious discrimination or religious intolerance are still very common in different parts of the world, recording instances of intolerance, preference of one religion over another, and persecution of certain faiths.

Freedom to Belong to Any Political Party

Political parties are an expression of freedom of association.

Freedom of association and the right of association is a human right; it is the power to unite and form groups, associations, or organizations with legitimate targets and to withdraw from them. Freedom of association is included in freedom of association, and in English, both are called with the same expression (freedom of association).

Freedom or the right of association is the free availability of individuals with legal personality to formally set up permanent groupings designed to achieve specific, non-profit purposes.

It is one of the extensions of the freedoms of thought, expression, and assembly and a prelude to participation rights, to the extent that political participation is channeled mainly through specific forms of associations, among which political parties occupy a designated place.

It is considered a first-generation human right. As long as they use this right in a peaceful manner and for any lawful purpose, any person, domestic or foreign, shall be permitted by law, but only citizens may participate in the internal political affairs of the country.