B.2(c). Freedom of Movement

Every Person has the Right to travel freely within the country and to leave it. This Right may only be restricted following arrest or lawful conviction of a crime.

Anyone who has encountered a checkpoint or been told they can’t enter certain areas knows the feeling of having their movement controlled. While no one enjoys the expectation of being able to enter private areas without permission, simple travel in public should never be restricted in a free society.

Travel shouldn’t be restricted, but our history shows that sometimes it has been. In American history, freedom of movement without trial or due process has been restricted in the Chinese Exclusion Acts, Black Codes, Japanese Internments, and more. Authoritarian states outside the U.S. have set up internal checkpoints to keep citizens in a fixed area.

Most of the time, travel restrictions are less dramatic, but the principle is the same – the government is deciding where you can and can’t go. These restrictions are the opposite of freedom. They also violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,[1] which the United States championed. Since travel restrictions are inherently authoritarian, they are banned under this Charter in the same way that we have encouraged other nations to ban them.

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[1] Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. Res 217 (III) A, U.N. Doc. A/RES/217(III) (Dec. 10, 1948), Art. 13.