Mänskliga rättigheter – konstitutionella ramar eller politiska medel?

The nature of the Swedish human rights legislation has undergone a significant transformation over the past decades. Whereas there was an overall consensus during the 20th century that the regulation and interpretation of human rights was best left to parliament, judicial review and strategic litigation has since come to play an ever larger role within the Swedish legal system. Throughout the 20th century the political majority viewed constitutional human rights as protection against potential anti democratic forces that were to come into play in times of crises. They were not primarily intended to be invoked to question regular legislation. A political majority considered human rights legislations to be too vague to hinder anything but blatant human rights violations, and thus their specific contents were deemed too political to be determined by anyone but the popularly elected parliament. Over the past 30 years, this attitude has shifted. The development of Swedish law has resulted in the view that even democratic parliaments are able to violate human rights in ordinary legislation. As such, the power to interpret and determine the scope of the human rights legislation has shifted from parliament to adjudicative organs through judicial review. At the same time, political activism through strategic litigation has grown in popularity and achieved significant legal changes. In summary, the modern human rights legislation has resulted in a redistribution of political power that is in stark contrast to what was envisioned when the Swedish constitutional rights were first developed. In this study, I examine the legal developments that have enabled the modern human rights legislation in order to create an understanding of its role within the Swedish democracy, over time and today. Through legislation, its legislative history, and court practice I chart and analyze the significant events surrounding the human rights legislation in the Swedish constitution and the European