Very many states guarantee personal freedom in their constitutions.
In the preamble to its constitution, France declares the fundamental rights set forth as early as 1789 to be still valid, which state, among other things:
Art. I. Men are and shall be free by birth and equal in rights. Social differences may only be justified in the common good.
The German Basic Law states prominently in Article 2:
(1) Everyone shall have the right to the free development of his personality, provided that he does not infringe the rights of others and does not violate the constitutional order or the moral law.
(2) Everyone has the right to life and physical integrity. The freedom of the person shall be inviolable. These rights may be interfered with only on the basis of a law.
Similarly, many countries, including Russia and China, guarantee their citizens fundamental rights and freedoms.
The United States has also had a very liberal constitution since its founding. The Bill of Rights, as an amendment to the Constitution, has guaranteed the fundamental libertarian rights of American citizens since 1789.
Thus, for immigrants, the United States stood for the chance of a new life in freedom,
symbolized not least by the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island, on whose pedestal is written
"Give me your tired, your poor/your huddled masses yearning to breathe free".
(Give me your tired, your poor/your huddled masses yearning to breathe free).
The pull of the United States was so enormous that more than 10 million immigrants from Europe came to the U.S. via the Ellis Island route in the years 1892-1924, hoping to escape economic hardship, political or religious constraints, or simply to make their fortunes in the New World.
Upon entry, immigrants had to wait at Arrival Hall on Ellis Island for the immigration process exams. At this point, they were still uncertain whether they would be allowed to enter or perhaps rejected. Through the windows of this Arrival Hall, the symbol of the promise of freedom, the Statue of Liberty was already visible like a promise.
In the pursuit of their political goals, many states or state leaders are cashing in on previously guaranteed fundamental rights.
The USSR also had a liberal constitution with guarantees of, among other things, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, the latter declared as freedom to practice religious rites, which was granted to all citizens.
However, this in no way prevented the government from suppressing the practice of the Christian faith and, in this context, from banning Christian symbols in public/cemeteries, as it saw this as a threat to the Communist Party's monopoly on power.
Lithuania at that time was part of the USSR, for the Lithuanian population the Soviets were an occupying power trying to destroy their national identity, not for the first time in their history.
A number of efforts arose to preserve one's identity, including in the area of practicing the Christian faith.
In this context, the garden of the stonemason Orvydas is to be seen, who, starting in the 60's, collected these very Christian symbols from cemeteries and placed them in his garden, thus saving them.
Through the multitude of sculptures, objects and installations, the garden became a deeply mythical place.
The installation of a bell in Orvyda's garden shown here, which directs the view to the wide field of the surroundings, is for me an expression of an inner freedom that cannot be affected by any earthly power.
While the USSR still maintained the form of a liberal constitution, in 1933 in the German Reich the decree of the Reich President for the protection of the people and the state (Reichstag Fire Decree) on February 28 simply suspended (among other things) the following fundamental rights:
Article 114: The freedom of the person shall be inviolable. Impairment or deprivation of personal liberty by public authority shall be permitted only on the basis of law. ...
Article 115. The home of every German shall be a place of freedom for him and inviolable. ...
Article 116. An act may be punished only if the punishability was determined by law before the act was committed.
Article 117. The secrecy of correspondence and the secrecy of postal, telegraphic and telephone communications shall be inviolable. ....
Article 118. Every German has the right, within the limits of the general laws, freely to express his opinion in speech, writing, print, pictures or in any other manner...
This act, in conjunction with the subsequent Enabling Act, marked the end of the Weimar Republic, the end of a democratic polity.
Individual freedom was completely sacrificed to arbitrary state power under the pretext of a necessary defense against communist acts of violence that threatened the state.
This is commemorated on the monument visible in the background of a demonstration against the Ukraine war in Giessen (3/2022). The inscription reads (among others):
1933-1945. The victims admonish: Wehret den Anfängen!
So where are the parallels between Germany in 1933 and Russia today?
What is the state of Russia's integration into the international community today and the assurance of fundamental rights and freedoms by the Constitution of the Russian Federation for its citizens?
Article 15:
....The generally recognized principles and norms of international law and the international treaties of the Russian Federation shall be an integral part of its legal system. If an international treaty of the Russian Federation establishes rules different from those provided by law, the rules of the international treaty shall be applied.
Articles 17-64 guarantee Russian citizens extensive fundamental rights and freedoms (excerpts):
Article 17:
... The fundamental rights and freedoms of the human person are inalienable and are the right of everyone from birth....
Article 21
The dignity of the person shall be protected by the State. Nothing can justify its diminution....
Article 22
Everyone has the right to liberty and personal inviolability.
Article 29
Everyone is guaranteed freedom of thought and speech....
Article 31
Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, to hold meetings, rallies, demonstrations and processions, and to picket.
In view of the observable situation regarding freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, etc. in the country and the war of aggression on Ukraine, Russia has moved far away from the norms of a free constitutional state laid down in the constitution.
The beginnings have been made.
For me, the freedom to determine my own path in life is a great asset that I have been able to enjoy as a matter of course. I have always been able to breathe freely.
Now freedom, like health, is one of those things in life that is difficult to perceive when you have it, but can be very painful when it is restricted.
The developments in Russia, culminating in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also chauvinistic and right-wing populist currents in politics have startled me. Therefore, with the 3 pictures shown here, I would like to sharpen the perception that it is not self-evident that we will simply always have these freedoms.
We have to secure them again and again in order to continue to breathe freely as a matter of course.
The above pictures are part of the exhibition "Durchblicke" of the photo group Lichtmaler Grünberg in the Barfüßerkloster in Grünberg from 20-27 November.
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