The key component is that “everyone”, including all leaders, similarly obeys the law - without exception.

Magna Carta was issued in June 1215 and was the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law. It sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power, and placed limits of royal authority by establishing law as a power in itself.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité  | Liberty, Equality, Fraternity -  is the national motto of France.

The conference also agreed on a standard emblem to identify medical personnel on the battlefield: a red cross on a white background. The red crescent emblem was adopted by the (Turkish) Ottoman Empire in the 1870s.

These developments put the ICRC at the origin of both the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The Potsdam Conference was one the most important historical events of the 20th century. It is seen around the world as a symbol of the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, which led to the division of Europe and the erection of the Berlin Wall. The Potsdam Agreement adopted at Cecilienhof laid the groundwork for a new order in Germany, Europe, and the world after World War II. 

Campaigning. Rights. Representation. Protest. women and their allies have fought for women’s rights and also to create a fairer and more equal world.
suffrage was a pivotal moment in the battle for equality. When 8.4 million women gained the right to vote in 1918, it represented significant progress for the feminist movement.

But, despite the progress, women still faced many forms of discrimination at that time with gender inequality still present throughout almost all areas of life.

Many laws and societal attitudes meant women faced barriers and prejudice throughout society - in work, education, marriage - and even with control of their own bodies.

Peace in Europe and the beginnings of cooperation

Post-war cooperation in Europe led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the signing of the Treaties of Rome and the birth of the European Parliament.

Source: Anna Heringer and Martin Rauch

Architects Anna Heringer and Martin Rauch designed a guesthouse for an alternative-medicine retreat center with materials that can be found around its location in Rosenheim, Germany. Rammed-earth walls, mud plastering and floors, handcrafted ceramics and a timber structure form a nest-like structure next to a forest and surrounded by two arms of the Mangfall river. Natural materials aren’t perfect, and that’s good, the architects said in their submission to the awards.

The revolutions were essentially democratic and liberal in nature, with the aim of removing the old monarchical structures and creating independent nation-states. The revolutions spread across Europe after an initial revolution began in France in February. Over 50 countries were affected, but with no significant coordination or cooperation among their respective revolutionaries. Some of the major contributing factors were widespread dissatisfaction with political leadership, demands for more participation in government and democracy, demands for freedom of the press, other demands made by the working class for economic rights, the upsurge of nationalism, the regrouping of established government forces,^[3] and the European Potato Failure, which triggered mass starvation, migration, and civil unrest.^[4]

The revolutionary barricades in Vienna in May 1848

The world was astonished in spring 1848 when revolutions appeared in so many places and seemed on the verge of success everywhere. Agitators who had been exiled by the old governments rushed home to seize the moment. In France, the monarchy was once again overthrown and replaced by a republic. In a number of major German and Italian states, and in Austria, the old leaders were forced to grant liberal constitutions. The Italian and German states seemed to be rapidly forming unified nations. Austria gave Hungarians and Czechs liberal grants of autonomy and national status.

Each year, The Committee to Protect Journalists produces a comprehensive list of all working journalists killed in relation to their employment, including profiles of each deceased journalist within an exhaustive database, and an annual census of incarcerated journalists (as of midnight, December 1). The year 2017 reported record findings of jailed journalists, reaching 262.

 As World War II came to an end in 1945, Germany was divided into four “occupation zones”: The eastern part of the country went to the Soviet Union, while the western part went to the United States, Great Britain and (eventually) France.
Berlin was also agreed to split into two sectors. The Soviets took the eastern half, while the other Allies took the western. In the meantime two governments were formed, the East German and the West German government. Over the years millions of East Germans crossed the border into West Berlin most of them young skilled workers such as doctors, teachers and engineers. To stop that flow of emigrants, the East German government ordered the construction of the Berlin Wall that divided one side of the city from the other. After the wall was built, it became impossible to get from East to West Berlin except under special circumstances. Between 1961 and 1989, at least 140 people were killed or died at the Wall and unknown numbers of people suffered and died from distress and despair that was caused by the Berlin Wall. By 1989, many East Germans had had enough. They staged a series of mass demonstrations demanding democracy. Eventually, the wall was gone on November 9, 1989  and Berlin was united for the first time since 1945.

  Female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights. In 2023 alone, there are 4.32 million girls around the world who are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation. This practice has roots in thousands of years of gender inequality across the globe, from Africa to Arab countries, Asia, Latin America and also Europe... It  is estimated that there are 600,000 women within Europe living with the consequences of FGM. FGM can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths Every year at least 20,000 women and girls asylum seekers are coming to Europe from FGM-risk countries.

Young boy found lying face-down on a beach near Turkish resort of Bodrum was one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach Greece.
The full horror of the human tragedy unfolding on the shores of Europe was brought home on Wednesday as images of the lifeless body of a young boy – one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach the Greek island of Kos – encapsulated the extraordinary risks refugees are taking to reach the west.

The Court is based in Strasbourg.

All 47 Member States of the Council, including the UK, have signed the Convention. Its full title is the ‘Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms’.

Originally proposed by Winston Churchill and drafted mainly by British lawyers, the Convention was based on the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was signed in Rome in 1950 and came into force in 1953.

Unlike the fixed EU competences enshrined in the Treaties, the preferences of citizens regarding EU involvement in certain areas change. These preferences vary significantly, depending on the policy area in question. They have inevitably been influenced by the sense of instability and transition arising from the migration crises and terrorist threats and attacks. According to a Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2016 and then repeated in 2018, the majority of European citizens would like to see increased EU involvement in all the policy areas in the realm of peace and security. Despite a small decrease in this preference for some areas, the expectation of more EU-level external action remains very strong.

Liberty Leading the People is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris.