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Riga Declaration on Religious Freedom, Family Values
and Human Rights
Supporting Documentation
The following, presented in the order in which they are cited, are excerpts from the human rights
documents listed in the Riga Declaration. These excerpts are only representative selections of what,
in several cases, are lengthy documents. The reader is reminded that in law, the terms in which
human rights principles may be stated may be either positive (e.g. the express promise of religious
freedom in King Cyrus’ Charter) or negative (e.g. the threat of punishments for sexual crimes which
violate family relationships in the Code of Hammurabi). This summary of supporting documentation
is a work in process.
Paragraph 1:
The Charter of Human Rights of King Cyrus the Great
I am Kourosh (Cyrus), King of the world, great king, mighty king, king of Babylon….I announce that
I will respect the traditions, customs and religions of the nations of my empire and never let any of
my governors and subordinates look down on or insult them….I [will] never let anyone oppress any
others, and if it occurs , I will take his or her right back and penalize the oppressor.…To day, I
announce that everyone is free to choose a religion.”
The Magna Carta
KNOW THAT BEFORE GOD, for the health of our soul and those of our ancestors and heirs, to the
honour of God, the exaltation of the holy Church, and the better ordering of our kingdom….FIRST,
THAT WE HAVE GRANTED TO GOD, and by this present charter have confirmed for us and our
heirs in perpetuity, that the English Church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished, and
its liberties unimpaired….[and] This freedom we shall observe ourselves, and desire to be observed
in good faith by our heirs in perpetuity.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man
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…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:
10. No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided
Redeeming the Rainbow 164