Democracy and Human Rights: A Com- plex Relationship

Abstract

Although democracy and human rights would appear to be closely linked, numerous points of tension exist. These antagonisms imply the subordination of democracy to human rights, which generates a conflict in certain democratic models, although not in the more substantial understanding of democracy. Aspects analyzed in this paper include the notions of equality and liberty in political philosophy, and the limited imposed on states by international human rights law, and the implications this has for the exercise of human rights in democratic regimes.