| DENMARK Kingdom of Denmark Kongeriget Danmark Joined United Nations: 24 October 1945 Human Rights as assured by their constitution Updated 10 March 2013 |
Part IV [The Parliament]
Section 29 [Right to Vote]
(1) Any Danish subject whose permanent residence is in the Realm, and who has the age qualification for suffrage provided for in
Subsection (2) shall have the right to vote at Parliament elections, provided that he has not been declared incapable of conducting his own
affairs. It shall be laid down by Statute to what extent conviction and public assistance amounting to poor relief within the meaning of the
law shall entail disfranchisement.
(2) The age qualification for suffrage shall be such as has resulted from the Referendum held under the Act dated the 25th March, 1953.
Such age qualification for suffrage may be altered at any time by Statute. A Bill passed by the Parliament for the purpose of such
enactment shall receive the Royal Assent only when the provision on the alteration in the age qualification for suffrage has been put to a
Referendum in accordance with Section 42 (5), which was not resulted in the rejection of the provision.
Section 44 [Naturalization]
(1) No alien shall be naturalized except by Statute.
(2) The extent of the right of aliens to become owners of real property shall be laid down by Statute.
Part VII [State Church]
Section 67 [Right to Worship]
The citizens shall be entitled to form congregations for the worship of God in a manner consistent with their convictions, provided that
nothing at variance with good morals or public order shall be taught or done.
Section 68 [Church Contributions]
No one shall be liable to make personal contributions to any denomination other than the one to which he adheres.
Section 69 [Regulation of Other Religious Bodies]
Rules for religious bodies dissenting from the Established Church shall be laid down by Statute.
Section 70 [Freedom of Religion]
No person shall for reasons of his creed or descent be deprived of access to complete enjoyment of his civic and political rights, nor shall
he for such reasons evade compliance with any common civic duty.
Part VIII [Individual Rights]
Section 71 [Personal Liberty]
(1) Personal liberty shall be inviolable. No Danish subject shall in any manner whatever be deprived of his liberty because of his political or
religious convictions or because of his descent.
(2) A person shall be deprived of his liberty only where this is warranted by law.
(3) Any person who is taken into custody shall be brought before a judge within twenty-four hours. Where the person taken into custody
cannot be releasee immediately, the judge shall decide, stating the grounds in an order to be given as soon as possible and at the latest
within three days, whether the person taken into custody shall be committed to prison, and in cases where he can be released on bail, the
judge shall determine the nature and amount of such bail. This provision may be departed from by Statute as far as Greenland is
concerned, if for local considerations such departure may be deemed necessary.
(4) The finding given by the judge may at once be separately appealed against by the person concerned to a higher court of justice.
(5) No person shall be remanded for an offence that can involve only punishment consisting of a fine or mitigated imprisonment.
(6) outside criminal procedure the legality of deprivation of liberty which is not by order of a judicial authority, and which is not
warranted by the legislation dealing with aliens, shall at the request of the person who has been deprived of his liberty, or at the request of
any person acting on his behalf, be brought before the ordinary courts of justice or other judicial authority for decision. Rules governing
this procedure shall be provided by Statute.
(7) The persons mentioned in Subsection (6) shall be under supervision by a board set up by the Parliament, to which board the persons
concerned shall be permitted to apply.
Section 72 [Inviolability of the House]
The dwelling shall be inviolable. House searching, seizure, and examination of letters and other papers as well as any breach of the
secrecy to be observed in postal, telegraph, and telephone matters shall take place only under a judicial order unless particular exception is
warranted by Statute.
Section 73 [Right to Property, Expropriation]
(1) The right of property shall be inviolable. No person shall be ordered to cede his property except where required by the public weal. It
can be done only as provided by Statute and against full compensation.
(2) Where a Bill relating to the expropriation of property has been passed, one-third of the Members of the Parliament may within three
week-days from the final passing of such Bill demand that it shall not be presented for the Royal Assent until new elections to the
Parliament have been held and the Bill has again been passed by the Parliament assembling thereupon.
(3) Any question of the legality of an act of expropriation and the amount of compensation may be brought before the courts of justice.
The hearing of issues relating to the amount of the compensation may by Statute be referred to courts of justice established for such
purpose.
Section 74 [Free and Equal Access to Trade]
Any restraint of the free and equal access to trade which is not based on the public weal, shall be abolished by Statute.
Section 75 [Right to Work]
(1) In order to advance the public weal efforts should be made to afford work to every able-bodied citizen on terms that will secure his
existence.
(2) Any person unable to support himself or his dependants shall, where no other person is responsible for his or their maintenance, be
entitled to receive public assistance, provided that he shall comply with the obligations imposed by Statute in such respect.
Section 76 [Compulsory Schooling]
All children of school age shall be entitled to free instruction in the elementary schools. Parents or guardians who themselves arrange for
their children or wards receiving instruction equal to the general elementary school standard, shall not be obliged to have their children or
wards taught in elementary school.
Section 77 [Freedom of Speech]
Any person shall be entitled to publish his thoughts in printing, in writing, and in speech, provided that he may be held answerable in a
court of justice. Censorship and other preventive measures shall never again be introduced.
Section 78 [Freedom of Association]
(1) The citizens shall be entitled without previous permission to form associations for any lawful purpose.
(2) Associations employing violence, or aiming at attaining their object by violence, by instigation to violence, or by similar punishable
influence on people of other views, shall be dissolved by judgment.
(3) No association shall be dissolved by any government measure. However, an association may be temporarily prohibited, provided that
proceedings be immediately taken against it for its dissolution.
(4) Cases relating to the dissolution of political associations may without special permission be brought before the highest court of justice
of the Realm.
(5) The legal effects of the dissolution shall be determined by Statute.
Section 79 [Freedom of Assembly]
The citizens shall without previous permission be entitled to assemble unarmed. The police shall be entitled to be present at public
meetings. Open-air meetings may be prohibited when it is feared that they may constitute a danger to the public peace.
Section 80 [Dissolution of Assemblies]
In case of riots the armed forces, unless attacked, may take action only after the crowd in the name of the King and the Law has three
times been called upon to disperse, an such warning has been unheeded.
Section 81 [Military Duty]
Every male person able to carry arms shall be liable with his person to contribute to the defence of his country under such rules as are laid
down by Statute.
Section 82 [Local Autonomy]
The right of the municipalities to manage their own affairs independently under the supervision of the State shall be laid down by Statute.
Section 83 [Abolishing of Privileges]
All privileges by legislation attached to nobility, title, and rank shall be abolished.
Section 84 [Abolishing of Estate Tails]
In future no fiefs, estates tail inland or estates tail in personal property shall be created.
Section 85 [Exemptions for Military Forces]
The provisions of Sections 71, 78, and 79 shall only be applicable to the defence forces subject to such limitations as are consequential to
the provisions of military laws.
Section 29 [Right to Vote]
(1) Any Danish subject whose permanent residence is in the Realm, and who has the age qualification for suffrage provided for in
Subsection (2) shall have the right to vote at Parliament elections, provided that he has not been declared incapable of conducting his own
affairs. It shall be laid down by Statute to what extent conviction and public assistance amounting to poor relief within the meaning of the
law shall entail disfranchisement.
(2) The age qualification for suffrage shall be such as has resulted from the Referendum held under the Act dated the 25th March, 1953.
Such age qualification for suffrage may be altered at any time by Statute. A Bill passed by the Parliament for the purpose of such
enactment shall receive the Royal Assent only when the provision on the alteration in the age qualification for suffrage has been put to a
Referendum in accordance with Section 42 (5), which was not resulted in the rejection of the provision.
Section 44 [Naturalization]
(1) No alien shall be naturalized except by Statute.
(2) The extent of the right of aliens to become owners of real property shall be laid down by Statute.
Part VII [State Church]
Section 67 [Right to Worship]
The citizens shall be entitled to form congregations for the worship of God in a manner consistent with their convictions, provided that
nothing at variance with good morals or public order shall be taught or done.
Section 68 [Church Contributions]
No one shall be liable to make personal contributions to any denomination other than the one to which he adheres.
Section 69 [Regulation of Other Religious Bodies]
Rules for religious bodies dissenting from the Established Church shall be laid down by Statute.
Section 70 [Freedom of Religion]
No person shall for reasons of his creed or descent be deprived of access to complete enjoyment of his civic and political rights, nor shall
he for such reasons evade compliance with any common civic duty.
Part VIII [Individual Rights]
Section 71 [Personal Liberty]
(1) Personal liberty shall be inviolable. No Danish subject shall in any manner whatever be deprived of his liberty because of his political or
religious convictions or because of his descent.
(2) A person shall be deprived of his liberty only where this is warranted by law.
(3) Any person who is taken into custody shall be brought before a judge within twenty-four hours. Where the person taken into custody
cannot be releasee immediately, the judge shall decide, stating the grounds in an order to be given as soon as possible and at the latest
within three days, whether the person taken into custody shall be committed to prison, and in cases where he can be released on bail, the
judge shall determine the nature and amount of such bail. This provision may be departed from by Statute as far as Greenland is
concerned, if for local considerations such departure may be deemed necessary.
(4) The finding given by the judge may at once be separately appealed against by the person concerned to a higher court of justice.
(5) No person shall be remanded for an offence that can involve only punishment consisting of a fine or mitigated imprisonment.
(6) outside criminal procedure the legality of deprivation of liberty which is not by order of a judicial authority, and which is not
warranted by the legislation dealing with aliens, shall at the request of the person who has been deprived of his liberty, or at the request of
any person acting on his behalf, be brought before the ordinary courts of justice or other judicial authority for decision. Rules governing
this procedure shall be provided by Statute.
(7) The persons mentioned in Subsection (6) shall be under supervision by a board set up by the Parliament, to which board the persons
concerned shall be permitted to apply.
Section 72 [Inviolability of the House]
The dwelling shall be inviolable. House searching, seizure, and examination of letters and other papers as well as any breach of the
secrecy to be observed in postal, telegraph, and telephone matters shall take place only under a judicial order unless particular exception is
warranted by Statute.
Section 73 [Right to Property, Expropriation]
(1) The right of property shall be inviolable. No person shall be ordered to cede his property except where required by the public weal. It
can be done only as provided by Statute and against full compensation.
(2) Where a Bill relating to the expropriation of property has been passed, one-third of the Members of the Parliament may within three
week-days from the final passing of such Bill demand that it shall not be presented for the Royal Assent until new elections to the
Parliament have been held and the Bill has again been passed by the Parliament assembling thereupon.
(3) Any question of the legality of an act of expropriation and the amount of compensation may be brought before the courts of justice.
The hearing of issues relating to the amount of the compensation may by Statute be referred to courts of justice established for such
purpose.
Section 74 [Free and Equal Access to Trade]
Any restraint of the free and equal access to trade which is not based on the public weal, shall be abolished by Statute.
Section 75 [Right to Work]
(1) In order to advance the public weal efforts should be made to afford work to every able-bodied citizen on terms that will secure his
existence.
(2) Any person unable to support himself or his dependants shall, where no other person is responsible for his or their maintenance, be
entitled to receive public assistance, provided that he shall comply with the obligations imposed by Statute in such respect.
Section 76 [Compulsory Schooling]
All children of school age shall be entitled to free instruction in the elementary schools. Parents or guardians who themselves arrange for
their children or wards receiving instruction equal to the general elementary school standard, shall not be obliged to have their children or
wards taught in elementary school.
Section 77 [Freedom of Speech]
Any person shall be entitled to publish his thoughts in printing, in writing, and in speech, provided that he may be held answerable in a
court of justice. Censorship and other preventive measures shall never again be introduced.
Section 78 [Freedom of Association]
(1) The citizens shall be entitled without previous permission to form associations for any lawful purpose.
(2) Associations employing violence, or aiming at attaining their object by violence, by instigation to violence, or by similar punishable
influence on people of other views, shall be dissolved by judgment.
(3) No association shall be dissolved by any government measure. However, an association may be temporarily prohibited, provided that
proceedings be immediately taken against it for its dissolution.
(4) Cases relating to the dissolution of political associations may without special permission be brought before the highest court of justice
of the Realm.
(5) The legal effects of the dissolution shall be determined by Statute.
Section 79 [Freedom of Assembly]
The citizens shall without previous permission be entitled to assemble unarmed. The police shall be entitled to be present at public
meetings. Open-air meetings may be prohibited when it is feared that they may constitute a danger to the public peace.
Section 80 [Dissolution of Assemblies]
In case of riots the armed forces, unless attacked, may take action only after the crowd in the name of the King and the Law has three
times been called upon to disperse, an such warning has been unheeded.
Section 81 [Military Duty]
Every male person able to carry arms shall be liable with his person to contribute to the defence of his country under such rules as are laid
down by Statute.
Section 82 [Local Autonomy]
The right of the municipalities to manage their own affairs independently under the supervision of the State shall be laid down by Statute.
Section 83 [Abolishing of Privileges]
All privileges by legislation attached to nobility, title, and rank shall be abolished.
Section 84 [Abolishing of Estate Tails]
In future no fiefs, estates tail inland or estates tail in personal property shall be created.
Section 85 [Exemptions for Military Forces]
The provisions of Sections 71, 78, and 79 shall only be applicable to the defence forces subject to such limitations as are consequential to
the provisions of military laws.
Humans have inhabited the islands of Denmark for about 100,000 years but permanent
habitation took root about 10,000 BCE. Around 3000 BCE agriculture began to flourish with
Scandinavian people migrating south to Germania. Rome established trade but never
conquered the region. Little is known of the culture prior to the rise of the Vikings in the 8th
century CE, the Christianization of King Harold Bluetooth in 980 and King Canute who
united Denmark and England in the 11th Century, a union that failed in 1035 with Canute's
death. Various attempts were made to unite the Kingdoms of Scandinavia throughout the
middle ages Denmark declined for a few centuries eventually allowing the nobles to force
the creation of a charter, considered Denmark's first constitution, toward the end of the 13th
Century. The Danish Reformation of 1536 led to separation from the Catholic Church and
the nation grew wealthy through the 16th Century. Power became concentrated with the
monarch through the 17th and 18th Centuries and the nation was greatly impacted by The
Enlightenment and return of civil institutions. Denmark's alliance with France during the
Napoleonic Wars devastated its economy despite a growing sense of nationalism. It
declared neutrality in world War II but was occupied by Germany until 5 May 1945, forcing
the surrender of Iceland and Faroe Islands claims. Post War also saw the establishment of
the right of female succession to the Danish Throne. The present constitution was adopted
on 5 June 1953. Human rights are enumerated beginning with Part Four (The Parliament),
conform with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which Denmark is a
signatory and are detailed below. For a full English translation of Denmark's Constitution,
click here.
habitation took root about 10,000 BCE. Around 3000 BCE agriculture began to flourish with
Scandinavian people migrating south to Germania. Rome established trade but never
conquered the region. Little is known of the culture prior to the rise of the Vikings in the 8th
century CE, the Christianization of King Harold Bluetooth in 980 and King Canute who
united Denmark and England in the 11th Century, a union that failed in 1035 with Canute's
death. Various attempts were made to unite the Kingdoms of Scandinavia throughout the
middle ages Denmark declined for a few centuries eventually allowing the nobles to force
the creation of a charter, considered Denmark's first constitution, toward the end of the 13th
Century. The Danish Reformation of 1536 led to separation from the Catholic Church and
the nation grew wealthy through the 16th Century. Power became concentrated with the
monarch through the 17th and 18th Centuries and the nation was greatly impacted by The
Enlightenment and return of civil institutions. Denmark's alliance with France during the
Napoleonic Wars devastated its economy despite a growing sense of nationalism. It
declared neutrality in world War II but was occupied by Germany until 5 May 1945, forcing
the surrender of Iceland and Faroe Islands claims. Post War also saw the establishment of
the right of female succession to the Danish Throne. The present constitution was adopted
on 5 June 1953. Human rights are enumerated beginning with Part Four (The Parliament),
conform with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which Denmark is a
signatory and are detailed below. For a full English translation of Denmark's Constitution,
click here.