Some 4,000 years ago, King Hammurabi had the laws of his domain between the Tigris and Euphrates carved in stone and placed in front of his palace. The laws were written in the plain language of the people, not in the arcane idiom of the priests, so that everybody could understand them. They were not engraved on clay, so they could not be changed at will, and they were not hidden, so that all were able to access them and learn, for example, that even judges had a duty to adhere to the rules in their decisions.Thus were created the basic principles of accountability. Much more recently, only 200 years ago, La Declaration des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyenstated (Art. XIV) that every citizen has the right to check the need to pay taxes and that society has the right to hold every public agent accountable (Art.XV).
Means and Ends – Social Watch Report 2014
Gender Roundtable What are the key gender justice issues today?
Извор: WUNRN – 14.07.2014
