Which of the following statements as per the ‘Universal Declaration of

Which of the following statements as per the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ is/are correct?

  • 1. The Declaration provides that everyone has a right to seek and enjoy in other country’s asylum from prosecution in respect of political crimes.
  • 2. The Declaration provides that everyone has the freedom from arbitrary deprival of nationality, except for the freedom to change nationality.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2024
The correct answer is A. Statement 1 is correct, but Statement 2 is incorrect.
Statement 1 is correct. Article 14(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” While it says ‘persecution’, this often includes persecution for political reasons, and prosecution for political crimes can constitute persecution. Article 14(2) provides an exception for “prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes,” implying that asylum *can* be invoked for situations related to political matters.
Statement 2 is incorrect. Article 15 of the UDHR states both that “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality” AND that everyone has the “right to change his nationality.” The statement’s phrasing “except for the freedom to change nationality” wrongly links the two rights, suggesting one is an exception to the other, which is not what Article 15 says.
Article 14 establishes the fundamental right to seek asylum, forming the basis for international refugee law. Article 15 protects the right to nationality and the freedom to change it, preventing statelessness and arbitrary denationalization.
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