Human dignity holds a high position in the system of constitutional values. Being the core of every constitutional right, it forms and translates the idea of a human being as a unique self-identified being who is not under the power of the State, and also forms respect for the inner world of a person, sets up his/her place in society and relations with the State. On its part, the right to respect for human dignity corresponds with the recognition of a person as the highest social value, thus making it impossible to interpret a human being instrumentally, merely as an object of the will of the State. The purpose of the article is to analyze human dignity in the system of constitutional values through the prism of historical determinants and today’s political and legal realities. Based on results of the analysis, the author marks out the main aspects allowing to interpret human dignity as an integrative category which determines the extent to which a person’s daily existence in a particular society is consistent with his/her nature and high predestination in the world. These aspects, inter alia, include: freedom as an opportunity to act freely according to one’s own will; adequate standard of living ensuring decent existence; possibility to make a choice in spiritual and intellectual terms, possibility to form one’s own worldview and spiritual world; and the aspect of human security and protection from encroachments, etc. Basically, almost in all constitutional systems, including ours, the right to respect for human dignity is absolute, just like the right to life. This means that the State may not impose any restrictions on the right to implementation of human dignity. Such restrictions may apply to other rights, with regard to which the restriction criteria have been set up by law. In particular, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine noted that restrictions on the exercise of constitutional rights and freedoms may not be arbitrary and unfair, they should be established exclusively by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, they should have a legitimate aim, be conditioned by the public need for achievement of this goal, be proportional and justified; in case of any restriction of a constitutional right or freedom, the legislator should introduce legal regulation which will make it possible to achieve the legitimate aim in the optimal manner with minimal interference in the exercise of such a right or freedom and which should not breach the essential content of this right. In fact, the core of every constitutional right is human dignity. As for restrictions, these criteria have been formulated implicitly. There are also explicit restrictions which are recorded in the text of the Constitution. This refers to the laws which impose restrictions and interfere with human rights. This is the main burden of a constitutional complaint – to assess the laws which restrict human rights. Here we mean the implementation of human rights, this being the essential core of law without which it cannot be a right, and whether certain laws do not attack this core. Instead, human dignity is something without which a human cannot be a human.

List of legal documents

Legislation

1. Konstytutsiia Ukrainy [Constitution of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 28 chervnia 1996 r. № 254k/96-VR. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/254%D0%BA/96-%D0%B2%D1%80 (accessed: 05.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

2. Konventsiia pro zakhyst prav liudyny i osnovopolozhnykh svobod [Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms] vid 4 lystopada 1950 r. URL: http://zakon3.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_004 (accessed: 15.05.2018) (in Ukrainian).

3. Konventsiia proty katuvan ta inshykh zhorstokykh, neliudskykh abo takykh, shcho prynyzhuiut hidnist, vydiv povodzhennia i pokarannia [Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment]. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_085 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian). 17 Рішення Конституційного Суду України від 1 червня 2016 р. № 2-рп/2016. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v002p710-16 (дата звернення: 28.05.2018).

4. Mizhnarodnyi pakt pro hromadianski i politychni prava [The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights] vid 16 hrudnia 1966 r. URL: http://zakon3.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_043 (accessed: 15.05.2018) (in Ukrainian).

5. Pro Konstytutsiinyi Sud Ukrainy [On the Constitutional Court of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 13 lypnia 2017 r. № 2136-VIII. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2136-19 (accessed: 5.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

6. Statut Orhanizatsii Obiednanykh Natsii [The Charter of the United Nations] vid 26 chervnia 1945 r. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_010 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

7. Zahalna deklaratsiia prav liudyny [Universal Declaration of Human Rights] vid 10 hrudnia 1948 r. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_015 (accessed: 15.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

Cases

8. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine] vid 29 hrudnia 1999 r. № 11-rp/99. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v011p710-99 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

9. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine] vid 23 travnia 2018 r. № 5-r/2018. URL: http://www.ccu.gov.ua/novyna/uhvaleno-rishennya-konstytuciynogo-sudu-ukrayiny-no-5-r2018 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

10. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine] vid 1 chervnia 2016 r. № 2-rp/2016. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v002p710-16 (accessed: 28.05.2018) (in Ukrainian).

Bibliography

Authored books

11. Delperee F, ‘Prawo do godności ludzkiej w belgijskim porządku konstytucyjnym’ v Complak K (red), Godność człowieka jako kategoria prawa (Opracowania I materiały) (Centrum Handlu i Poligrafii 2001) (in Polish).

12. Garkicki L, Polskie prawo konstytucyjne: Zarys wykładu (Wolters Kluwer 2015) (in Polish). Journal articles

13. Gediminas Mesonis and Algirdas Taminskas, ‘Human Dignity: Constutional Reflexions’ [2014] Constitutional justice in the new millennium: Almanac 111 (in English).

Conference papers

14. Lener M, ‘Liudska hidnist v Osnovnomu Zakoni Federatyvnoi Respubliky Nimechchyna’ [‘Human Dignity in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany’] v Shloer B (red), Liudska hidnist: shcho my rozumiiemo pid “hidnistiu”, “liudynoiu” ta “liudskoiu hidnistiu”?: materialy mizhnarodnoho naukovo-praktychnoho seminaru “Liudska hidnist u pravi Nimechchyny, Polshchi ta Ukrainy” [Human Dignity: what do we Mean by “Dignity”, “Man” and “Human dignity”?: Materials of the International Scientific and Practical Seminar “Human Dignity in the Law of Germany, Poland and Ukraine”] (V dele 2017) (in Ukrainian).

Websites

15. Sadowski M, ‘Godność człowieka w doktrynie polskiego prawa konstytucyjnego’ <http://zdr.knu.ua/images/2017/02/21/Godnosc_czlowieka_w_doktrynie-Sadowski.pdf> accessed 28 May 2018 (in Polish).