SECTION II.

HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND GUARANTEES

Article 16

A person, his rights and freedoms shall be of supreme value to the society and the state. Responsibility of the state shall be to protect rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen.

Basic human rights and freedoms shall be inalienable and shall be enjoyed by everyone from birth.

Article 17

Everyone shall have equal rights and freedoms and shall be equal before the law regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, religion, social origin, views, personal and social status.

Benefits and privileges can be established only by the law and should be consistent with the principles of social justice.

Article 18

Restriction of rights and freedoms of a person and citizen shall be allowed only in cases envisioned by law, in the interest of national security, public order, protection of morality, of people's health, rights and freedoms of other individuals.

Nobody can enjoy benefits and privileges inconsistent with the law.

Article 19

Everyone shall have the right to life. The state shall protect the right to life of a person from any infringement.

Capital punishment, until it is abolished, can be applied according to law as an exceptional punishment for committing grave crimes against life and only according to the sentence passed.

Article 20

Everyone shall have the right to freedom and personal inviolability. No one can be arrested or detained otherwise than provided by law.

A detainee shall have the right to judicial review of lawfulness of his detention or arrest.

Article 21

Nobody should be subjected to torture, violence, or other severe or humiliating treatment or punishment. Nobody may be subjected to medical, scientific or other experiments without voluntary consent.

Article 22

A person accused in committing a crime is innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the established by law procedure and the sentence of guilty passed and come into legal force. An accused is not bound to prove his innocence.

Article 23

No one must testify against himself, his spouse, close relations, whose circle shall be determined by the law.

Evidence obtained with violation of law shall not have any legal force.

Article 24

Everyone shall have the right to protection of his good name, protection against infringement on his honour and dignity, against interference with his private life; as well as shall have the right to personal and family privacy, and to inviolability of the home.

Nobody shall have the right to enter a dwelling place against the will of those residing therein, except in those cases provided for by the laws.

Article 25

Everyone may freely leave the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall have the right freely to return to the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

Article 26

Maternity and childhood, family shall be under the protection of the state.

Care for children and their upbringing shall be the equal right and duty of parents.

Able-bodied children over 18 years of age, must take care of disabled parents.

Article 27

Everyone shall have the right on the freedom of thought, speech, and opinion. Everyone shall have the right freely to seek, receive and transmit any information, except for the one directed against existing constitutional system, or being State secrets. The list of types of information which constitute State secrets, shall be determined by the law.

Everybody is ensured the freedom of opinion and expression.

Article 28

The media is not subjected to censorship.

Article 29

Citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall be ensured the right to get, keep and spread full, reliable and timely information concerning activity of state organs, of public associations, concerning political, economic, and international life, the state of environment.

Bodies of state power and management, institutions of local self-government, and their officials must provide a citizen of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic with the possibility to get acquainted with documents and materials concerning his rights and legitimate interests, unless otherwise provided by the law.

Article 30

Freedom of conscience shall be ensured to everybody.

Everybody shall have the right to profess any religion or not to profess any. Any forced implanting religious views shall be inadmissible.

Article 31

Citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall have the right to participate in managing public and state affairs both directly and through their representatives. This participation shall be carried out through the local self-government, holding referenda, and democratic formation of state bodies.

Citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall have the right to elect and be elected to state bodies on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by the secret ballot.

Article 32

The state shall ensure the freedom of assembly, rallies, street processions, demonstrations and pickets, which do not violate law and order, as well as rights, of other citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. The order of holding the abovementioned activities shall be determined by the law.

Article 33

Citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall have the right to join in trade unions, political parties and other associations, to participate in mass movements not prohibited by the law.

Article 34

Judges, prosecutor's office personnel, personnel of bodies of interior affairs, of the committee of state control, of security bodies, as well as servicemen cannot be members of political parties and other public associations set to achieve political goals.

Article 35

Labour shall be free. Everyone shall have the right freely to use his (her) labour skills and to choose the type of his activity and occupation.

Compulsory labour shall be prohibited.

Everyone shall have the right to work in conditions which meet safety and hygiene requirements, to be rewarded for labour without any discrimination and no less than the established by the law minimum level of salary, as well as the right to protection against unemployment.

The right shall be recognized to individual and collective labour disputes with the use of established by the law ways of their resolution, including the right to strike.

Everybody shall have the right to rest.

An employee shall be ensured the length of working time, holidays and red-letter days, paid annual leave, established by the law.

Article 36

Everyone shall have the right to freely use his abilities and property for business and another, not prohibited by the law, economic activity.

Article 37

The state shall ensure the right to have property to everyone.

The owner, at his own discretion, shall possess, use and dispose the property belonging to him.

Nobody may be deprived of property except under a court order.

Exercising the right of property should not damage the environment, historic and cultural values, infringe upon rights and protected by the law interests of other individuals or the state. The right of succession is ensured.

Article 38

Everyone shall have the right to social security for old age, in case of disability, as well as in case of loss of bread-winner, and in other cases determined by the law.

Pensions, benefits and other types of social assistance cannot be less than a level officially determined by the state.

Article 39

Citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall be ensured the right to health protection, including free medical service and treatment in state public health institutions.

Article 40

Everyone shall have the right to secure for life and health environment and to compensation of the harm caused by violation of this right.

Article 41

Everyone shall have the right to education.

Citizens shall be ensured free general secondary education and free high professional education in state educational institutions.

Everyone shall have the right, on a competitive basis according to his abilities, to get free higher education in state educational institutions.

General secondary education shall be compulsory.

The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall establishe state educational standards, and shall support various forms of education and self-education.

Article 42

Everyone shall have the right toa home. Nobody may be arbitrarily deprived of his (her) home.

State government bodies and local self-government bodies shall promote housing construction and create conditions for exercising the right to a home.

Low-income citizens and other citizens mentioned in law who are in need of a home may receive it either free of charge or for an affordable payment from State, municipal and other housing funds according to the norms established by law.

Article 43

Everyone shall have the right to maintain his ethnicity, as well as nobody can be forced to name and indicate his ethnicity.

Insult of national dignity should be punished as provided by the law.

Everyone shall have the right to use his mother tongue and to choose a language of communication.

Article 44

Citizens of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall have the right to freedom of artistic, scientific and technical creative work.

Intellectual property shall be s protected by the law.

The state shall take care of cultural, scientific, and technical development of society.

Article 45

The state shall ensure rights and freedoms of citizens laid down in the Constitution. The list of rights and freedoms, given in the Constitution, should not be interpreted as negation or derogation of other universally recognized rights and freedoms.

Article 46

Everyone shall be ensured judicial defense of his rights and freedoms, as well as the right to appeal to the court against illegal decisions and actions of state bodies, officials, and public associations.

Article 47

Exercising rights and freedoms shall be inseparable from fulfillment by citizen and person his duties before society and the state.

Article 48

Defense of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shall be a sacred duty for everyone. The law shall establish universal military service.

Article 49

Everyone must observe the Constitution and laws, as well as respect rights, freedoms, honour and dignity of other people.

Article 50

Everyone must take care of the environment.

Article 51

Everyone must protect cultural and spiritual heritage of the people of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

Article 52

Everyone must pay taxes and local duties determined by law.