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Germany 1949 (rev. 2012)
Preamble •
Source of constitutional authority
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God or other deities
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Motives for writing constitution
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Preamble
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Right to self determination
Conscious of their responsibility before God and man, Inspired by the determination
to promote world peace as an equal partner in a united Europe, the German people,
in the exercise of their constituent power, have adopted this Basic Law. Germans in
the Länder of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen,
Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North
Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt,
Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia have achieved the unity and freedom of Germany
in free self-determination. This Basic Law thus applies to the entire German people.
I. Basic Rights Article 1: [Human dignity - Human rights - Legally binding force of basic rights] 1. Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of
all state authority.
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Human dignity
2. The German people therefore acknowledge inviolable and inalienable human
rights as the basis of every community, of peace and of justice in the world.
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Inalienable rights
3. The following basic rights shall bind the legislature, the executive and the
judiciary as directly applicable law.
Article 2: [Personal freedoms] 1. Every person shall have the right to free development of his personality insofar
as he does not violate the rights of others or offend against the constitutional
order or the moral law.
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Right to development of personality
2. Every person shall have the right to life and physical integrity. Freedom of the
person shall be inviolable. These rights may be interfered with only pursuant to a
law.
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Prohibition of cruel treatment
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Inalienable rights
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Right to life
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Prohibition of torture
