The Timeline of Human Rights

The first international document which recognises the importance of human rights and freedom is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.

But did you know that there were some legal documents recognised the importance of freedom and established previously?

The Assize of Clarendon (1166) was the earliest ancestor for recognising contemporary protection of human rights in Britain. It was the first document which recognised the importance of justice of trials and established the uses of juridical order for criminal trials because of the previous trials at churches has undermined the power of thrones. After it has put into force, whenever a suspect is caught with a suspicion of theft, robber or murderer, a justice must present during the suspect’s trial. If the justice is unable to attend within a short time, the sheriff is responsible to notify with the nearest justice. Here, justice refers to the jury system which made up of 12 men from every hundred and 4 men from each township. Once the suspicions have evidently approved, they are punished for what they are accused of and sent to prisons (Stubbs 1921). The system of justice which Henry II established has therefore successfully created the foundation of contemporary justice in the UK.

The Magna Carta (1215), also known as the 'Great Charter', was another most influential documents in the UK's history because it was the first legal document that recognised the importance of freedom and rights of individuals, with an establishment of everyone (including the monarchy) is subjected to the law and promises citizens' rights are protected and respected under the justice and society, including the rights to own and inherit their properties, protected from taxes, the rights of free trial when citizens are arrested and the freedom for churches without interferences from the government (Elefthoriou-Smith 2015). Similarly, it is the foundation for the law-making in the contemporary UK, as many legislations, documents and policies on human rights and freedom are taking references from it, which makes the Magna Carta (1215) remains the most influential documents in the UK's history.