Power and human rights as a counterbalance: progressive limits of Mexican democracy

Abstract

Political and state power is essential to organize life in society, guarantee order and promote the common welfare. However, this power is not absolute: it is limited by human rights, which function as ethical and legal barriers to prevent abuses and protect people's dignity. These rights, enshrined in international treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), establish a framework within which governments must act, respecting fundamental freedoms such as life, liberty, equality and legal certainty. The excessive or arbitrary use of power can lead to serious violations of rights, which has led to the development of international monitoring and sanction mechanisms. But the reality in different democracies has overlapped, even devised the exercise of human rights by reason of the exercise of state power, turning different nations into absolutist or incl states.