Are any human rights absolute?

There are certain human rights which can be said to be unchangeable in their nature. These ‘absolute’ rights cannot be suspended for any reason and there is no justification for limiting them.

Absolute rights have two key features. They are both:

-Non-Derogable: No external limitations

-Unqualified: No internal limitations

Thus meaning that no proportionality test need be applied when examining ‘absolute rights’.

 These rights are; Freedom from torture, Freedom from Slavery

There are certain human rights which are considered to be non derogable human rights and are often considered similar ‘absolute rights’. However, it is important to know that non-derogable can be either absolute or non-absolute, meaning that while they cannot be suspended, even in cases of emergency, certain non-absolute rights can be limited in their application. They include rights like the right to life, which we see limited in death penalty sentencing.