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right to petition

{{Short description|Right to communicate one's needs to government}}

{{Missing information|the historic development and necessity, and the differences between governments where the right is not as strong|date=September 2019}}

The right to petition government for redress of grievances is the right to make a complaint to, or seek the assistance of, one's government, without fear of punishment or reprisals.

{{cns|date=September 2019|The right can be traced back to the Bill of Rights 1689, the Petition of Right (1628), and Magna Carta (1215).|reason= Need reliable source that these are the main sources of the right to petition - particularly since China seems to have had memorial to the throne.}}

In Europe, Article 44 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union ensures the right to petition to the European Parliament.Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000), Article 44 Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany guarantees the right of petition to "competent authorities and to the legislature".Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, Article 17[https://dejure.org/gesetze/GG/17.html Grundgesetz, Art. 17] (dejure.org)

The right to petition in the United States is granted by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1791).

United States

{{Main|Right to petition in the United States}}

The prohibition of abridgment of the "right to petition" originally referred only to the Congress and the U.S. federal courts. The incorporation doctrine later expanded the protection of the right to its current scope, over all state and federal courts and legislatures, and the executive branches of the state{{cite web|url=http://www.illinoisfirstamendmentcenter.com/petition.php |publisher=Illinois First Amendment Center |title=The Right to Petition |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411172748/http://www.illinoisfirstamendmentcenter.com/petition.php |archive-date=April 11, 2013 }} and federal governments.

China

{{Main|Memorial to the throne}}

Ancient and Imperial Chinese dynasties recognised the right to petition for all subjects. Commoners could petition the Emperor to remove local officials.{{cite book |last1=Brook|first1=Timothy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YuMcHWWbXqMC |title=The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China|publisher=University of California Press|date=1999|isbn=978-0-520-22154-3|pages=33–34}}. The Huabiao, a ceremonial column common in traditional Chinese architecture, is believed to have originated from signboards set up by ancient rulers to offer an avenue for the public to write petitions.{{Cite web |url=http://www.asiavtour.com/China_Beijing_culture_a147_s5.html |title=Culture of Beijing: Huabiao |access-date=2019-04-17 |archive-date=2021-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202544/http://www.asiavtour.com/China_Beijing_culture_a147_s5.html |url-status=dead }}

{{Main|Petitioning (China)}}

In modern China the use of local petitioning bureaus remains common, however, those who remain dissatisfied still travel to the capital as a last resort to appeal to the central government.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/2009/04/petitions_in_china.html|title=Petitions in China|last= James Reynolds |date=9 April 2009 |publisher=BBC|access-date=2009-04-08}} The National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration ({{zh|s=国家信访局}}) and local bureaus of letters and calls receive suggestions and grievances. The officers then channel the issues to respective departments and monitor the progress of settlement, which they feedback to the filing parties.{{cite news|url=https://www.gjxfj.gov.cn/|title=Chinese official web site:国家信访局|access-date=2009-04-08}} If unsatisfied, they can move up the hierarchy to bring complaints to the next higher level.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bjreview.cn/EN/En-2005/05-45-e/china-1.htm|title=ÎÞ±êÌâÎĵµ|website=www.bjreview.cn|access-date=2019-12-05|archive-date=2016-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206043246/http://www.bjreview.cn/EN/En-2005/05-45-e/china-1.htm|url-status=dead}}HRW's "Alleyway" citing Jonathan K. Ocko, "I'll take it all the way to Beijing: Capital appeals in the Qing," Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 47.2 (May 1988), p.294

See also

References

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Category:Human rights

Category:Human rights by issue

Category:First Amendment to the United States Constitution