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🇩🇰 Denmark /Elections & Politics

The rule of law is unfortunately no certainty in today’s political Denmark

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Opinion Named sources Context piece
  • Martin Lavesen, chair of the Danish Bar and Law Society, argues that legal safeguards must apply equally to all citizens.
  • He says current political developments are challenging Denmark’s shared commitment to the rule of law.
  • The commentary notes that criticism from legal and civil society organizations appears to have prompted several parties to call for adjustments.

The rule of law cannot be something Denmark chooses to uphold only when it is convenient, or when the people involved are citizens we like. “Equal before the law” must mean that the rules apply to everyone. Otherwise, there is no state governed by law.

That is the argument put forward by Martin Lavesen, chair of the Danish Bar and Law Society, in this commentary. He writes that Denmark’s shared legal protections are clearly under pressure within the political system.

The concern, he says, is not limited to the Bar and Law Society. Tax and Growth Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt has also expressed it. Criticism from the Bar and Law Society, along with a broad range of organizations, appears to have made an impression on several political parties, which are now calling for adjustments.

Lavesen’s central warning is direct: legal safeguards cannot depend on whether the public approves of the people seeking them. A system in which the law applies selectively would no longer meet the standard of a state governed by law.

Equal before the law

· Martin LavesenHe uses the phrase to argue that legal rules must apply to everyone.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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