Article 3 - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (English version)

This piece is part of a collection of 30 xylographs, produced by the multimedia artist Otávio Roth (1952-1993), that graphically express the content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The series took two years to reach completion, with each piece printed on handmade paper created by the artist himself. Driven by the desire to democratize access to the Charter, Otávio Roth synthesized its message in graphic pieces that facilitate the understanding and memorization of the Charter’s content.

Roth was the first living artist invited to exhibit at the United Nations. His prints have been on permanent display at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna since 1981. In addition to the English series, the artist produced other series in Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian and Danish, using techniques as diverse as crayon, watercolor and pulp painting.

About Article 3
This brief article, closely related to Articles 5 and 9 which address torture and arbitrary imprisonment, is at the center of global attempts to eradicate the death penalty. If the article enshrines the right to life, abolitionists argue, how can state-sponsored deaths be justified? The right to life has become one of the fundamental rights accepted by countries; 77% of the world's Constitutions include this right, compared to 27% in 1945 when the UN was founded.