Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen（1789）

The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties; in order that the acts of the legislative power, as well as those of the executive power, may be compared at any moment with the objects and purposes of all political institutions and may thus be more respected, and, lastly, in order that the grievances of the citizens, based hereafter upon simple and incontestable principles, shall tend to the maintenance of the constitution and redound to the happiness of all.

Therefore the National Assembly recognizes and proclaims, in the presence and under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and of the citizen:

Articles:

1.Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.

2、The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

3、The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation.

4、Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law.

5、Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law.

6、Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents.

7、No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law. Any one soliciting, transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed, any arbitrary order, shall be punished. But any citizen summoned or arrested in virtue of the law shall submit without delay, as resistance constitutes an offense.

8、The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it be legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense.

9、As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law.

10、No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.

11、The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.

12、The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces. These forces are, therefore, established for the good of all and not for the personal advantage of those to whom they shall be intrusted.

13、A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means.

14、All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their representatives, as to the necessity of the public contribution; to grant this freely; to know to what uses it is put; and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection and the duration of the taxes.

15、Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration.

16、A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all.

17、Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified.

（全名為《人權和公民權宣言》，法國大革命中的重要文獻。1789年7月9日，根據穆尼埃的建議，制憲會議著手起草《人權宣言》。8月26日通過。宣言以美國的《獨立宣言》為范本，明顯受到了啟蒙思想的影響。）

人權宣言 ?

法國國民議會，1789年8月26日

起草：穆尼埃

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組成國民議會之法國人代表認為，無視、遺忘或蔑視人權是公眾不幸和政府腐敗的唯一原因，所以決定把自然的、不可剝奪的和神圣的人權闡明于莊嚴的宣言之中，以便本宣言可以經常呈現在社會各個成員之前，使他們不斷地想到他們的權利和義務；以便立法權的決議和行政權的決定能隨時和整個政治機構的目標兩相比較，從而能更加受到他們的尊重；以便公民們今后以簡單而無可爭辯的原則為根據的那些要求能確保憲法與全體幸福之維護。 因此，國民議會在上帝面前并在他的庇護之下確認并宣布下述的人與公民的權利：

國民議會在主宰面前并在他的庇護之下確認并宣布下述的人與公民的權利：

第一條　在權利方面，人們生來是而且始終是自由平等的。只有在公共利用上面才顯出社會上的差別。

第二條　任何政治結合的目的都在于保存人的自然的和不可動搖的權利。這些權利就是自由、財產、安全和反抗壓迫。

第三條　整個主權的本原主要是寄托于國民。任何團體、任何個人都不得行使主權所未明白授予的權力。

第四條　自由就是指有權從事一切無害于他人的行為。因此，各人的自然權利的行使，只以保證社會上其他成員能享有同樣權利為限制。此等限制僅得由法律規(guī)定之。

第五條　法律僅有權禁止有害于社會的行為。凡未經法律禁止的行為即不得受到妨礙，而且任何人都不得被迫從事法律所未規(guī)定的行為。

第六條　法律是公共意志的表現。全國公民都有權親身或經由其代表參與法律的制定。法律對于所有的人，無論是施行保護或處罰都是一樣的。在法律面前，所有的公民都是平等的，故他們都能平等地按其能力擔任一切官職，公共職位和職務，除德行和才能上的差別外不得有其他差別。

第七條　除非在法律所規(guī)定的情況下并按照法律所指示的手續(xù)，不得控告、逮捕或拘留任何人。凡動議、發(fā)布、執(zhí)行或令人執(zhí)行專斷命令者應受處罰；但根據法律而被傳喚或被扣押的公民應當立即服從；抗拒則構成犯罪。

第八條　法律只應規(guī)定確實需要和顯然不可少的刑罰，而且除非根據在犯法前已經制定和公布的且系依法施行的法律以外，不得處罰任何人。

第九條　任何人在其未被宣告為犯罪以前應被定無罪，即使認為必須予以逮捕，但為扣留其人身所不需要的各種殘酷行為都應受到法律的嚴厲制裁。

第十條　意見的發(fā)表只要不擾亂法律所規(guī)定的公共秩序，任何人都不得因其意見、甚至信教的意見而遭受干涉。

第十一條　自由傳達思想和意見是人類最寶貴的權利之一；因此，各個公民都有言論、著述和出版的自由，但在法律所規(guī)定的情況下，應對濫用這項自由負擔責任。

第十二條　人權的保障需要有武裝的力量；因此，這種力量是為了全體人利益而不是為了此種力量的受任人的個人利益而設立的。

第十三條　為了武裝力量的維持和行政管理的支出，公共賦稅就成為必不可少的；賦稅應在全體公民之間按其能力作平等的分攤。

第十四條　所有公民都有權親身或由其代表來確定賦稅的必要性，自由地加以認可，注意其用途，決定稅額、稅率、客體、征收方式和時期。

第十五條　社會有權要求機關公務人員報告其工作。

第十六條　凡權利無保障和分權未確立的社會，就沒有憲法。

第十七條　財產是神圣不可侵犯的權利，除非當合法認定的公共需要所顯然必需時，且在公平而預先賠償的條件下，任何人的財產不得受到剝奪。