Page:British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 155 (1958).djvu/520

504 in the Laender Baden, Bavaria, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhine land-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, Wuerttemberg-Baden and Wuerttemberg-Hohenzollern,

has, by virtue of its constituent power, enacted this Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany to give a new order to political life for a transitional period.

It acted also on behalf of those Germans to whom participation was denied.

The entire German people is called upon to accomplish, by free self-determination, the unity and freedom of Germany.

The dignity of man shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all State authority.

The German people therefore acknowledges inviolable and inalienable human rights as the basis of every human community, of peace and justice in the world.

The following basic rights shall be binding as directly valid law on legislation, administration and judiciary.

Everyone shall have the right to the free development of his personality, in so far as he does not infringe the rights of others or offend against the constitutional order or the moral code.

Everyone shall have the right to life and physical in violability. The freedom of the individual shall be inviolable. These rights may be interfered with only on the basis of a law.

All men shall be equal before the law.

Men and women shall have equal rights.

No one may be prejudiced or privileged because of his sex, descent, race, language, homeland and origin, faith or religious and political opinions.

Freedom of faith and conscience and freedom of religious and ideological (weltanschauliche) profession shall be inviolable.

Undisturbed practice of religion shall be guaranteed.