死刑就是恣意――簡介匈牙利憲法法院的死刑違憲判決

The Death Penalty is Arbitrary—An Introduction to the Hungarian Constitutional Court’s Decision to declare the Death Penalty Unconstitutional

匈牙利憲法法院在1990年宣布死刑違憲，是釋憲廢除死刑的首例。匈牙利憲法法院在民主轉型過程中，扮演著維護憲政秩序的重要角色，宣布死刑違憲便是朝向民主轉型的重要一舉。首席大法官索游在這份判決裡詳細論證「生命權」與「人性尊嚴」不可分離，兩者一同構成人類平等的法律地位，是國家必須絕對保障的最底線的權利。生命權與人性尊嚴的特性就是不可限制的，所以只要施加任何限制，便構成恣意。這是生命權與人性尊嚴獨有的特性，其他基本權利如自由權並不適用。匈牙利憲法法院屢次做出不符合多數民意的決定，但卻因聲請門檻極低、易為民眾近用，並且直球對決、實問實答，而成為最受匈牙利民眾信任的政府機構，是「司法行動主義」的實踐經典。

The Hungarian Constitutional Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional in 1990, marking the first instance of abolition of capital punishment by the constitutional court. Throughout the transition to democracy, the Hungarian Constitutional Court played a crucial role in upholding constitutional order, and the decision to establish the unconstitutionality of the death penalty was a significant step towards democratization. In this decision, Chief Justice Sólyom elaborately argued that the“right to life”and“human dignity”form an inseparable unity that constitutes the equal legal capacity of every individual. The state has an obligation to provide absolute protection to the unity since it is the minimum right for everyone. Due to its indivisibility, it is unimaginable to limit the right to life and human dignity, therefore, to impose any limitation on it will be deemed arbitrariness. This is only true with the right to life and human dignity due to its uniqueness. Despite the Hungarian Constitutional Court’s decisions often deviating from majority opinions, it remains the most trusted government institution among the Hungarian people for its easy accessibility coupled with straightforward, sometimes confrontational style. Hungarian Constitutional Court stands as a classic practice of judicial activism.