INTRODUCTION
This constitution is only a theory under development; only the real free use appropriation and masses’ social-historic practice of the councils and solutions they will constantly bring to the problems this reality and raised by this practice will determine the precise and effective organizational and constitutional forms which the councils will take.
Preamble
Title I. Constitution
Title II. Councillist
democracy
Section I. Councils
Section II. General
councils
Section III. Use
councils
Section IV. Delegation
Section V. General
delegation
Section VI. Use
delegation
Title III. Free
use appropriation
Title IV. Some
basic rights
Title V. Justice
Title VI. Education
Title VII. Minors
Title VIII. Mental
illness
Title IX. Animals
Regarding the organization of societies as theocracies as the essential source of all alienation, this constitution has for only objective to abolish all theocracies by making impossible everything which exists outside of individuals.
Article 1. Historicity
The people always have
the right to amend, reform and change their constitution. A generation
cannot submit future generations to its laws; a just society is a society
where the question of justice constantly remains open. See article 30.
Art. 2. Indivisibility
This constitution is
indivisible and all its aspects are interdependent.
Art. 3. Equality and non-discrimination
1. All human
beings are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination
to equal protection of the law.
2. All the are
equally entitled to protection against any discrimination which would violate
this present constitution.
All human beings are entitled to equal
protection against any discrimination in violation of this constitution.
3. Everyone
is equally entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this constitution,
without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, age, language,
religion, political or other opinion, incapacity, national, ethnic or social
origin, birth or other status. The only possible discriminations are those
given stated in articles 18, 27
and 40 relating to the exclusive
rights of majority.
Art. 4. Person before the law
Everyone has the right
to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Art. 5. Abuse of rights
Nothing in the present
constitution may be interpreted as implying for anyone any right to engage
in any activity or perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the
rights and freedoms recognized herein or at limitation to a greater extent
of these rights and freedoms.
Title
II.
COUNCILLIST DEMOCRACY
(or generalized self-management; or direct
or communal or soviet democracy)
Art.
58. Free use appropriation right
1. All individuals
have an equal right to everything they judge necessary for themselves and
which the constitution allows them to use. Desire, effective need, will
to use, use and enjoyment of a material place or means by an individual,
a group of individuals or a council founds the free use appropriation right.
One cannot durably take possession of means or places by a vain ceremony,
but by their constant use. No one can deprive an individual or a community
of the right of possession of means and places which it needs, uses or
produces.
2. All individuals
are entitled to the free use of all of life’s material means and places
of which, in particular, all means or places of production, communication,
habitation, technique or nature. Access to these means and places must
be arranged and defended by the councils so that each individual, group
of individuals and delegation can have easy, gratuitous, equal and free
access for individual, collective or councillist free use ends, and without
any discrimination or restriction possible of any sort.
3.1. The only
possible prohibitions to free use appropriation by any individual or group
of individuals, are only the cases of real and direct danger:
3.1.1. to human
health or life;
3.1.2. of cruel,
excessive or dangerous destruction of the natural environment;
3.1.3. of destruction
of means or places without agreement of the general councils.
3.2. In these
cases, the councils can decide to prevent access, but the rejected individual
or individuals can appeal of this decision through justice.
4. Appropriation
and responsibility for all life’s material means and places is done for
the use’s duration of or by delegation.
5. No individual
nor group of individuals can claim a free use appropriation right superior
to another. The use councils manage the access to life’s material means
and places.
Art. 59. Distribution of social appropriation
No form of social distribution
or allotment can be established, implicitly or explicitly, as universal
or timeless. Institutions of a social distribution mode - of appropriation
of material means and places, of means of production and consumption and
of produced goods - must be autonomous, explicit, legislative, not harm
autonomy and limited in its range and time.
Art.
60. Freedom of expression
1. All individuals
can freely express themselves by all the means they desire. No one can
stop
them for any reason. There cannot be abuse of freedom of expression. No
restriction can thus be established or tolerated.
2. Are thus
allowed, in particular, to all individuals or groups of individuals plagiarism,
detournement, forgery, copy, nudity, exhibition of genitals, non-procreative
sexual practices; racist, xenophobic, chauvinistic, nationalist, patriotic,
reactionary, conservative, sexist, machist, patriarchal, homophobic, defamatory,
false, negating, religious, theological, solipsist, sophist, philosophical,
metaphysical, mystical, irrational, pedophilic, homosexual, debauched,
pornographic, indecent, sexual, libidinous, vulgar, obscene, macabre, bloody,
immoral, blasphemous, insulting, derisive, contemptuous, egocentric, skeptical,
scabrous, scatological, offensive, antihumanist, capitalist, prostate,
royalist, monarchist, aristocratic, autocratic, theocratic, plutocratic,
oligarchic, hierarchical, bureaucratic, authoritarian, fascist, totalitarian,
militarist, anarchist, communist, anticouncillist, seditious, terrorist,
insurrectional, sadien, dangerous statements, symbols, esthetics, decoration,
images, communication, play, press, literature, display, painting, sculpture,
theatre, clothing, architecture, photography, cinema, television, video,
computer, sound production, music and other forms expressions in favor
of private property, money, profit, commodity exchange, wage labor, commodified
work, remuneration, prostitution, banks, bosses, representative democracy,
national sovereignty, borders, division in classes, castes or orders, nobility,
privileges, dictatorship, slave trade, slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory
labor, war, genocide, parricide, murder, torture, rape, suicide, euthanasia,
pillage, crime, illegality, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments or punishments,
the death penalty, restrictions to freedom of expression, opinion and thought,
restrictions to the autonomous use of material means and places, sexist,
racist, homophobic or religious laws, state religion, religious hatred,
discrimination, hostility, violence, destruction, public disorder, sacrifice,
castration, excision, art, marriage, heritage, nepotism and narcotics.
3. All individuals
have the right to freedom of thought and conscience which includes freedom
to change one’s convictions as well as to express one’s convictions individually
and collectively, in public or private, by teaching and practice.
4.1. The only
possible limitations to freedom of expression are cases of real and direct
danger:
4.1.1. for human
health or life;
4.1.2. of cruel,
excessive or dangerous destruction of the natural environment;
4.1.3. of destruction
of material means or places without agreement of the general councils.
4.2. In these
cases, the councils can decide to repress, but the repressed individuals
can appeal of this decision through justice.
Art. 61. Right to assembly and association.
1. All individuals
have the right to associate and assemble freely with others without any
restrictions.
2. No one may
be compelled to belong to an association.
Art.
62. Right to freedom of movement
All individuals have
the right to freedom of movement and residence everywhere in the world.
Art.
63. Right to idleness
All individuals have
the right to unlimited idleness. No one can be compelled to accomplish
delegational activities or other activities. If individuals have rights
which must imperatively be ensured by the councils, no individual can be
compelled to fulfill the duties these rights imply. The only exceptions
are articles 22, 92
and 93.
Art. 64. Right to life
All individuals have
the right to life and security of person. Death cannot be inflicted by
anyone intentionally except in case of self-defense where it would result
of a recourse to force made absolutely necessary.
Art. 65. Housing right
1. The use of
a dwelling gives an exclusive use ownership right to the individual or
individuals living in this place. No one can be arbitrarily deprived of
a dwelling of which he has the use.
2. Each individual
or group of individuals wishing to live in a same place, has the right
to a safe, convenient, protective, private, comfortable, hygienic and spacious
habitat and this without any counterpart. From the place’s use, the individual
becomes owner or the individuals in group become joint, and responsible
as long as they use it. No individual or group of individuals can be left
without this type of habitat if this individual or these individuals have
not expressly and freely asked to live without.
Art. 66. Alimentation right
The councils ensure
to all individuals the right, in an equal, gratuitous and easy way, to
a healthy, nutritive and pleasant alimentation.
Art. 67. Clothing right
The councils ensure
to all individuals the right, in an equal, gratuitous and easy way, to
protective and comfortable clothing.
Art. 68. Right to medical protection
The councils ensure
to all individuals the right, in an equal, gratuitous and easy way, to
the best possible medical protection - physical and psychic - of their
health and person
Art. 69. Right to social assistance
The councils ensure
to all individuals the right, in an equal, gratuitous and easy way, to
an effective assistance in cases in particular of invalidity, disease or
old age.
Art. 70. Transportation right
The councils ensure
to all individuals the right, in an equal, gratuitous and easy way, to
transport by the various existing means.
Art. 71. Right to means of communication
The councils ensure
to all individuals the right, in an equal, gratuitous and easy way, to
access to all the means of communication.
Art. 72. Privacy right
No one shall be subjected
to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence.
Art. 73. Exclusivity of its exercise
Justice can be only
exerted by general justice delegations.
Art. 74. Protection right
All individuals have
the right to seek and to enjoy the general councils’ and general safety
and justice delegations’ protection from persecution.
Art. 75. Right to an effective remedy
All individuals whose
rights or freedoms as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective
remedy from the general councils and their justice, notwithstanding that
the violation has been committed by delegates acting in a councillist capacity.
Art. 76. Presumption of innocence
All individuals charged
with an infringement have the right to be presumed innocent until proved
responsible according to law in a public trial at which he has had all
the guarantees necessary for his defense.
Art. 77. Non-retroactivity of the criminal
law
No one shall be condemned
of any criminal offence on account of any act or omission which did not
constitute an infringement under law, at the time when it was committed.
Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable
at the time when the infringement was committed. If, subsequent to the
commission of the offence, provision is made by law for the imposition
of the lighter penalty, the offender shall benefit thereby.
Art. 78. Right to a fair trial
All individuals are
entitled in full equality to a fair public and undelayed hearing by an
independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights
and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Art. 79. Legality of the losses of
liberty
1. No one shall
be accused, arrested or detained other than in the cases determined by
law and according to forms it has prescribed. Those who solicit, dispatch,
carry out or execute arbitrary orders must be severely and easily punished.
2. No one shall
be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. If it is considered
essential to arrest an individual, any rigor which would not be necessary
to keep its person must be severely and easily repressed by law.
3. Anyone who
is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to
take proceedings before a court, in order that court may decide without
delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention
is not lawful.
4. No one shall
be imprisoned merely on the ground of inability to fulfil a contractual
obligation.
Art. 80. Rights of defense
1. In the determination
of any criminal charge against them, all individuals shall be entitled
to the following guarantees, in full equality:
1.1. to be informed
in detail in a language which they understand at time of their arrest,
of the reason of their arrest and promptly of the nature and cause of the
charge against them;
1.2. to have
adequate time and facilities for the preparation of their defense and to
communicate with the persons of their own choosing;
1.3. to be tried
without undue delay in front of a council tribunal or to be set free;
1.4. to be informed
of their rights;
1.5. to be tried
in their presence, and to defend themselves in person or through legal
assistance assigned to them;
1.6. to examine,
or have examined, the witnesses against them and to obtain the attendance
and examination of witnesses on their behalf under the same conditions
as witnesses against them;
1.7. to have
the assistance of an interpreter if they cannot understand or speak the
language used in court;
1.8. not to
be compelled to testify against themselves or to confess responsibility.
2. All individuals
convicted of an infringement shall have the right to his conviction and
sentence being reviewed by another tribunal.
Art 81. Penalties
The competent authorities
can take the following measures:
1. verbal sanctions,
such as admonition, reprimand and warning;
2. conditional
discharge;
3. status penalties;
4. confiscation
or an expropriation order;
5. restitution
to the victim;
6. suspended
or deferred sentence;
7. probation
and judicial supervision;
8. a community
service order;
9. limitation
or deprivation of the right of freedom of movement (article 62);
10. referral
to an attendance center;
11. house arrest;
12. any other
mode of non-institutional treatment;
13. obligation
to an educational treatment;
14. some combination
of the measures listed above.
Art 82. Post-sentencing dispositions
1. Post-sentencing
dispositions include among others:
1.1. furlough
and half-way houses;
1.2. educational
release;
1.3. various
forms of parole;
1.4. remission.
2. Any form
of release from an institution to a non-custodial program shall be considered
at the earliest possible stage.
Art. 83. Incarceration
1. Pre-trial
detention must not be the rule, it must be justified. Release can be supervised
in the cases which justify it in order to ensure the untried person’s appearance
at the audience, at all the other procedural acts and if necessary, at
the judgement’s execution.
2. All restrained
persons must, as far as possible, fully benefit from all the rights contained
in the constitution without any other restriction but the deprivation of
their right of freedom of movement (article 62).
3. All restrained
persons have the right to a correspondence and daily visits.
4. Detailed,
frequent and prolonged prison visits must be easily accessible to all.
5. All judges,
lawyers or delegate jurors must spend at least two days in prison, under
the same conditions as a condemned person, before taking their functions.
6. Prisons must
be, as far as possible, self-managed by the prisoners and the general penitentiary
delegation but no prisoner will be able to carry out a function comprising
disciplinary power.
7. Prisons must
have different degrees of security according to the prisoners’ categories.
As far as possible, prisons must be opened, i.e. not to envisage physical
safety measures against escapes but to rely in this respect on the prisoners’
self-discipline.
8. All detained
persons must have daily access to a library sufficiently equipped with
instructive and entertaining books and to physical exercise installations
and equipments - in open air, if the weather allows it. General penitentiary
delegations must provide all prisoners with the necessary equipment to
writing and, as far as possible, with the books they request.
9. All detained
persons must, as far as possible, be authorized to wear their personal
cloths.
10. All condemned
prisoners must, as far as possible, be authorized to keep their personal
belongings with them.
Art. 84. Separation of the categories
The different categories
of prisoners shall be kept in separate prisons or parts of prisons taking
account of their sex, age, criminal record, the legal reason for their
detention and the necessities of their treatment. Thus,
1. untried prisoners
are kept separate from convicted prisoners and submitted to a distinct
treatment appropriate to the condition of untried prisoner;
2. untried and
condemned minors are kept separate from adults;
3. persons imprisoned
by reason of a civil infringement are kept separate from persons imprisoned
by reason of a criminal offence.
Art. 85. Prison accommodation
1. Where sleeping
accommodation is in individual cells or rooms, each prisoner must occupy
by night a cell or room by himself. If for special reasons, such as temporary
overcrowding, it becomes necessary for the central prison administration
to make an exception to this rule, it is not desirable to have two prisoners
in a cell or room.
2. Where dormitories
are used, they must be occupied by prisoners carefully selected as being
suitable to associate with one another in those conditions. There shall
be regular supervision by night, in keeping with the nature of the institution.
Art. 86. Prison hygiene
Prisoners are provided
with such toilet accommodations and articles as are necessary for health
and cleanliness.
Art. 87. Imprisoned mothers
1. In women's
institutions there must be special accommodation for all necessary pre-natal
and post-natal care and treatment. Arrangements must be made wherever practicable
for children to be torn in a hospital outside the institution. If a child
is born in prison, this fact must not be mentioned in the birth certificate.
2. Where nursing
infants are allowed to remain in the institution with their mothers, provision
must be made for a nursery staffed by qualified persons, where the infants
shall be placed when they are not in the care of their mothers.
Art. 88. Prison punishments
1. Corporal
punishment and punishment by placing in a dark cell are prohibited.
2. The medical
officer visits daily prisoners undergoing disciplinary punishments and
advises the prison’s general use delegation if he considers the termination
or alteration of the punishment necessary on grounds of physical or mental
health.
Art. 89. Prison inspection
General penitentiary
inspection delegations must regularly inspect prisons and ensure that the
existing laws and regulations are respected.
Art. 90. Release
Before the completion
of a sentence, it is necessary to ensure for the prisoner a gradual return
to life in society. This aim may be achieved, depending on the case, by
a pre-release regime organized in the same institution or in another appropriate
institution, or by release on trial under some kind of supervision which
must not be entrusted to the police but should be combined with effective
social aid.
Art. 91. Insane and mentally abnormal
prisoners
1.1. Persons
who are found to be insane must not be detained in prisons and arrangements
must be made to remove them to mental institutions as soon as possible.
1.2. Prisoners
who suffer from other mental diseases or abnormalities shall be observed
and treated in specialized institutions under medical management.
1.3. During
their stay in a prison, such prisoners shall be placed under the special
supervision of a medical officer.
1.4. The medical
or psychiatric service of the penal institutions shall provide for the
psychiatric treatment of all other prisoners who are in need of such treatment.
2. The psychiatric
treatment must be continued if necessary after release and the provision
of social-psychiatric after-care must be ensured.
Art.
92. Principles
Education is subjected
to the following principles: secularity, obligation and school self-management
by students, teachers and parents of minor students.
Art.
93. Obligation to education
1. Primary and
secondary education, learning of current writing and reading, of this constitution
as well as all councillist laws in detail, of task rotation, of respect
for the other and the natural environment, of delegation, of thorough scientific
and technical knowledge, of critical capacity, of autocritique, of the
faculty to call in question which knows and accepts no limits, must be
compulsory for all.
2. Education
is also compulsory until one’s majority.
Art. 94. Evaluation of competence
General councils name
delegations to evaluate competence above all in fields which directly endanger
human health and life as well as the natural environment - medicine, engineering,
architecture, justice, etc. - and secondarily different forms of precise
knowledge. But a competence’s recognition translates into a delegation
only through general councillist election.
Art. 95. Permanent university
The councils organize
the international permanent university open to all.
Art. 96. Freedom of education
Parents can choose
to educate their children outside of councillist school structures but
the councils must verify that the knowledge taught is at least of the same
level as that given by the councils to students of the same age and that
this teaching complies to the requirements proclaimed in article 92
and 93.
Art. 97. Right to parental relations
1. Minors are
registered immediately after birth and have the right from birth to a name,
to one or several legal representatives and as far as possible, the right
to know and be raised by their parents.
2. Councils
respect the right of the minor who is separated from one or both parents
to maintain personal relations and direct contact with both parents on
a regular basis, except if it is contrary to the minor’s interests.
Art. 98. Parental responsibility
Parents equally or,
as the case may be, members of the parents’ family, another substitute
- foster or adoptive - family or, if necessary, an appropriate institution,
have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the
minor. The minor’s interests must be their basic concern.
Art. 99. Separation of the parents
1. The councils
ensure that a minor is not be separated from his or her parents against
their will, except when coucillist justice, subject to judicial review,
determines that such separation is necessary for the minor’s interests.
Such determination may be necessary in a particular case such as one involving
abuse or neglect of the minor by the parents, or one where the parents
are living separately and a decision must be made as to the minor’s place
of residence.
2. The general
councils have the obligation to remove minors from parents who inflict
cruel, degrading or inhuman treatments to them.
3. In any proceedings
pursuant to paragraph 1 of the present article, all interested parties
must be given an opportunity to participate in the proceedings and make
their views known.
Art. 100. Protection against narcotics
The councils protect
minors against the use of narcotics.
Art. 101. Councillist rights
If minors cannot vote
in councils, nor be elected as delegate, they can like any individual attend
council meetings and deliberations, elaborate propositions to vote as well
as enjoy their free use
appropriation right in use councils.
Art. 102. Life in society
Every person with a
mental illness has the right to live as far as possible, in society and
to fully enjoy all the rights in the constitution.
Art. 103. Loss of rights
Whenever mentally retarded
persons are unable, because of the severity of their handicap, to exercise
some of their rights or it should become necessary to temporarily restrict
or deny a right, the procedure used for that restriction or denial of right
must be based on an evaluation of the social capability of the mentally
retarded person by qualified general expert delegates. This procedure exclusively
depends of the general councils. This restriction or denial must be subject
to periodic review and to the right of appeal.
Art.
104. Determination of mental illness
1. A determination
that a person has a mental illness must be made in accordance with internationally
accepted medical standards proclaimed by the general councils on an international
level.
2. Family or
professional conflict, or non-conformity with moral, social, cultural or
political values or religious beliefs prevailing in a person's society,
must never be a determining factor in diagnosing mental illness.
3. A background
of past treatment or hospitalization as a patient must not of itself justify
any present or future determination of mental illness.
Art. 105. Treatment
1. “Patient”
means a person receiving mental health care and includes all persons who
are admitted to a mental health facility.
2. Every patient
has the right to be treated and cared for, as far as possible, in the community
in which he or she lives.
3. Where treatment
takes place in a mental health facility, a patient has the right, whenever
possible, to be treated near his or her home or the home of his or her
relatives or friends and has the right to return to the community as soon
as possible.
4. Every patient
has the right to treatment suited to his or her cultural background.
5. Every patient
must be protected from harm, including unjustified medication, abuse by
other patients, staff or others or other acts causing mental distress or
physical discomfort.
6. Every patient
has the right to be treated in the least restrictive environment and with
the least restrictive or intrusive treatment.
7. The treatment
and care of every patient is based on an individually prescribed plan,
discussed with the patient, reviewed regularly, revised as necessary and
provided by qualified general delegate staff.
8. The treatment
of every patient must be directed towards preserving and enhancing personal
autonomy.
9. All medication
must be prescribed by a mental health practitioner authorized by law and
be recorded in the patient's records.
Art. 106. Consent to treatment
1. No treatment
shall be given to a patient without his or her informed consent, except
as provided for in paragraphs 6, 7, 8, 13 and 15 below.
2. Informed
consent is consent obtained freely, without threats or improper inducements,
after appropriate disclosure to the patient of adequate and understandable
information in a form and language understood by the patient on:
2.1. the diagnostic
assessment;
2.2. the purpose,
method, likely duration and expected benefit of the proposed treatment;
2.3. alternative
modes of treatment, including those less intrusive; and
2.4. possible
pain or discomfort, risks and side effects of the proposed treatment.
3. A patient
may request the presence of a person or persons of the patient's choosing
during the procedure for granting consent.
4. A patient
has the right to refuse or stop treatment, except as provided for in paragraphs
6, 7, 8, 13 and 15 below. The consequences of refusing or stopping treatment
must be explained to the patient.
5. A patient
must never be invited or induced to waive the right to informed consent.
If the patient should seek to do so, it shall be explained to the patient
that the treatment cannot be given without informed consent.
6. Except as
provided in paragraphs 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 and 15 below, a proposed plan of
treatment may be given to a patient without a patient's informed consent
if the following conditions are satisfied:
6.1. the patient
is, at the relevant time, held as an involuntary patient;
6.2. a general
coucillist authority, having in its possession all relevant information,
including the information specified in paragraph 2 above, is satisfied
that, at the relevant time, the patient lacks the capacity to give or withhold
informed consent to the proposed plan of treatment or that, having regard
to the patient's own safety or the safety of others, the patient unreasonably
withholds such consent; and
6.3. a general
coucillist authority is satisfied that the proposed plan of treatment is
in the best interest of the patient's health needs.
7. Paragraph
6 above does not apply to a patient with a personal representative empowered
by law to consent to treatment for the patient; but, except as provided
in paragraphs 12, 13, 14 and 15 below, treatment may be given to such a
patient without his or her informed consent if the personal representative,
having been given the information described in paragraph 2 above, consents
on the patient's behalf.
8. Except as
provided in paragraphs 12, 13, 14 and 15 below, treatment may also be given
to any patient without the patient's informed consent if a qualified mental
health practitioner authorized by law determines that it is urgently necessary
in order to prevent immediate or imminent harm to the patient or to other
persons. Such treatment shall not be prolonged beyond the period that is
strictly necessary for this purpose.
9. Where any
treatment is authorized without the patient's informed consent, every effort
must nevertheless be made to inform the patient about the nature of the
treatment and any possible alternatives and to involve the patient as far
as practicable in the development of the treatment plan.
10. All treatment
is immediately recorded in the patient's medical records, with an indication
of whether involuntary or voluntary.
11. Physical
restraint or involuntary seclusion of a patient must not be employed except
in accordance with the procedures officially approved internationally by
the federated general councils and only when it is the only means available
to prevent immediate or imminent harm to the patient or others. It shall
not be prolonged beyond the period which is strictly necessary for this
purpose. All instances of physical restraint or involuntary seclusion,
the reasons for them and their nature and extent are recorded in the patient's
medical record. A patient who is restrained or secluded must be kept under
humane conditions and be under the care and close and regular supervision
of qualified members of the staff. A personal representative, if any and
if relevant, must be given prompt notice of any physical restraint or involuntary
seclusion of the patient.
12. Sterilization
must never be carried out as a treatment for mental illness.
13. A major
medical or surgical procedure may be carried out on a person with mental
illness only where it is permitted by law, where it is considered that
it would best serve the health needs of the patient and where the patient
gives informed consent, except that, where the patient is unable to give
informed consent, the procedure must be authorized only after independent
review.
14. Psychosurgery
and other intrusive and irreversible treatments for mental illness must
never be carried out on a patient who is an involuntary patient in a mental
health facility and they may be carried out on any other patient only where
the patient has given informed consent and an independent external body
has satisfied itself that there is genuine informed consent and that the
treatment best serves the health needs of the patient.
15. Clinical
trials and experimental treatment must never be carried out on any patient
without informed consent, except that a patient who is unable to give informed
consent may be admitted to a clinical trial or given experimental treatment,
but only with the approval of a competent, independent general review delegation
specifically constituted for this purpose.
16. In the cases
specified in paragraphs 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15 above, the patient or his
or her personal representative, or any interested person, shall have the
right to appeal to a judicial or other independent authority concerning
any treatment given to him or her.
Art. 107. Notice of rights
1. A patient
in a mental health facility must be informed as soon as possible after
admission, in a form and a language which the patient understands, of all
his or her rights in accordance with these articles and under coucillist
law, which information must include an explanation of those rights and
how to exercise them.
2. If and for
so long as a patient is unable to understand such information, the rights
of the patient shall be communicated to the personal representative, if
any and if appropriate, and to the person or persons best able to represent
the patient's interests and willing to do so.
3. A patient
who has the necessary capacity has the right to nominate a person who should
be informed on his or her behalf, as well as a person to represent his
or her interests to the authorities of the facility.
Art. 108. Admission principles
1. Where a person
needs treatment in a mental health facility, every effort must be made
to avoid involuntary admission.
2. Access to
a mental health facility must be administered in the same way as access
to any other facility for any other illness.
3. Every patient
not admitted involuntarily must have the right to leave the mental health
facility at any time unless the criteria for his or her retention as an
involuntary patient, as set forth in article 109,
apply, and he or she shall be informed of that right.
Art.
109. Involuntary admission
1. A person
may be admitted involuntarily to a mental health facility as a patient;
or having already been admitted voluntarily as a patient, be retained as
an involuntary patient in the mental health facility if, and only if, a
general delegation of qualified mental health practitioners authorized
by law for that purpose determines, in accordance with article 104,
that person has a mental illness and considers:
1.1. that, because
of that mental illness, there is a serious likelihood of immediate or imminent
harm to that person or to other persons; or
1.2. that, in
the case of a person whose mental illness is severe and whose judgement
is impaired, failure to admit or retain that person is likely to lead to
a serious deterioration in his or her condition or will prevent the giving
of appropriate treatment that can only be given by admission to a mental
health facility in accordance with the principle of the least restrictive
alternative.
1.3. The involuntary
admission or retention referred to in subparagraph 1.2., can only take
place with the agreement of a second such general delegation of qualified
mental health practitioners, independent of the first.
2.
Involuntary
admission or retention must initially be for a short period as specified
by law for observation and preliminary treatment pending review of the
admission or retention by the general review delegation. The grounds of
the admission must be communicated to the patient without delay and the
fact of the admission and the grounds for it shall also be communicated
promptly and in detail to the general review delegation, to the patient's
personal representative, if any, and, unless the patient objects, to the
patient's family.
3. A
mental health facility may receive involuntarily admitted patients only
if the facility has been designated to do so by a competent authority prescribed
by law.
Art. 110. General review delegation
1. General review
delegations formulate their decisions with the assistance of one or more
qualified and independent mental health practitioners and take their advice
into account.
2. The general
review delegation's initial review, as required by article 109.2,
of a decision to admit or retain a person as an involuntary patient must
take place as soon as possible after that decision and must be conducted
in accordance with simple and expeditious procedures as specified by law.
3. The general
review delegation must periodically review the cases of involuntary patients
at reasonable intervals as specified by law.
4. An involuntary
patient may apply to the general review delegation for release or voluntary
status, at reasonable intervals as specified by law.
5. At each review,
the general review delegation must consider whether the criteria for involuntary
admission set out in article 109.1
are still satisfied, and, if not, the patient must be discharged as an
involuntary patient.
6. If at any
time the mental health practitioner responsible for the case is satisfied
that the conditions for the retention of a person as an involuntary patient
are no longer satisfied, he or she must order the discharge of that person
as such a patient.
7. A patient
or his personal representative or any interested person must have the right
to appeal to a higher court against a decision that the patient be admitted
to, or be retained in, a mental health facility.
Art. 111. Procedural safeguards
1. The patient
must be entitled to choose and appoint a counsel to represent the patient
as such, including representation in any complaint procedure or appeal.
If the patient does not secure such services, a counsel delegate must be
made available to the patient.
2. If necessary,
the services of an interpreter must be made available to the patient.
3. The patient
and the patient’s counsel may request and produce at any hearing an independent
mental health report and any other reports and oral, written and other
evidence that are relevant and admissible.
4. Copies of
the patient's records and any reports and documents to be submitted must
be given to the patient and to the patient's counsel, except in special
cases where it is determined that a specific disclosure to the patient
would cause serious harm to the patient's health or put at risk the safety
of others. Any document not given to the patient must, when this can be
done in confidence, be given to the patient's personal representative and
counsel. When any part of a document is withheld from a patient, the patient
or the patient's counsel, if any, must receive notice of the withholding
and the reasons for it and must be subject to judicial review.
5. The patient
and the patient's personal representative and counsel must be entitled
to attend, participate and be heard personally in any hearing.
6.
If the patient or the patient's personal representative or counsel requests
that a particular person be present at a hearing, that person must be admitted
unless it is determined that the person's presence could cause serious
harm to the patient's health or put at risk the safety of others.
7. Any decision,
whether the hearing or any part of it must be in public or in private and
may be publicly reported, must give full consideration to the patient's
own wishes, to the need to respect the privacy of the patient and of other
persons and to the need to prevent serious harm to the patient's health
or to avoid putting at risk the safety of others.
8. The decision
arising out of the hearing and the reasons for it must be expressed in
writing. Copies must be given to the patient and his or her personal representative
and counsel. In deciding whether the decision must be published in whole
or in part, full consideration must be given to the patient's own wishes,
to the need to respect his or her privacy and that of other persons, to
the public interest in the open administration of justice and to the need
to prevent serious harm to the patient's health or to avoid putting at
risk the safety of others.
Art. 112. Access to information
1. A patient
or a former patient is entitled to have access to the information concerning
the patient in his or her health and personal records maintained by a mental
health facility. This right may be subject to restrictions in order to
prevent serious harm to the patient's health and avoid putting at risk
the safety of others. Any such information not given to the patient should,
when this can be done in confidence, be given to the patient's personal
representative and counsel. When any of the information is withheld from
a patient, the patient or the patient's counsel, if any, must receive notice
of the withholding and the reasons for it and it must be subject to judicial
review.
2. Any written
comments by the patient or the patient's personal representative or counsel
must, on request, be inserted in the patient's file.
Art. 113. Criminal offenders
1. This article
applies to persons serving sentences of imprisonment for criminal offences,
or who are otherwise detained in the course of criminal proceedings or
investigations against them, and who are determined to have a mental illness
or who it is believed may have such an illness.
2. These articles
must apply to them to the fullest extent possible, with only such limited
modifications and exceptions as are necessary in the circumstances.
3. A councillist
court, acting on the basis of competent and independent medical advice,
can order that such persons be admitted to a mental health facility.
Art. 114. Complaints
Every patient and former
patient must have the right to make a complaint through procedures as specified
by law.
Art. 115. Domestication
1. Any animal which is dependent
on man has the right to proper maintenance and care, and to a life expectancy
that conforms to its natural longevity.
2. It must under no circumstances
be abandoned or killed unjustifiably.
3. All forms of breeding and uses
of the animal must respect the physiology and behavior specific to the
species.
4. All labor animals have the right
to a reasonable limitation of the length and intensity of the work, to
a restoring alimentation and to rest.
Art. 116. Experimentation
1. Experiments on animals entailing
physical or psychological suffering are prohibited.
2. Replacement methods must be
developed and implemented systematically.
Art. 117. Alimentation
When the animal is bred for alimentation,
it must be fed, housed, transported and killed in a painless way which
causes no apprehension.
Art. 118. Bad treatment
1. The prolonged deprivation of
the freedom of wild animals, hunting and fishing practiced as a pastime,
as well as any use of wild animals for reasons that are not vital, are
contrary to the law.
2. Animals must not be subjected
to bad treatment or to cruel act.
Art. 119. Killing
1. If it is necessary to kill an
animal, it must be instantaneous, painless and cause no apprehension.
2. Any act unnecessary involving
the death of an animal, and any decision leading to such an act, constitute
a biocide, that is to say, a crime against life.
Art. 120. Genocide
1. Any act compromising the survival
of a wild species and any decision leading to such an act is tantamount
to genocide, that is to say, a crime against the species.
2. The massacre of wild animals,
and the pollution and destruction of biotopes are acts of genocide.
Art. 121. Legal status
1. The specific legal status of
animals and their rights must be recognized by law.
2. General delegations must be
mandated to protect and save animals.
