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Part II State and Individual
Chapter 6 Citizenship, Equality
Article 33
Citizenship
(1) Uniform
federal citizenship is established for the USSR. Every citizen of a
Union Republic is a citizen of the
USSR.
(2) The grounds and procedure for acquiring or forfeiting Soviet citizenship are defined by the
Law on Citizenship of the USSR.
(3) When abroad, citizens of the
USSR enjoy the protection and assistance of the Soviet state.
Article 34
Equality
(1) Citizens of the USSR are equal before the law, without distinction of origin, social or property status, race or nationality, sex, education, language, attitude to religion, type and nature of occupation, domicile, or other status.
(2) The equal rights of citizens of the USSR are guaranteed in all fields of
economic,
political,
social, and
cultural life.
Article 35
(1) Women and men have equal rights in the USSR.
(2) Exercise of these rights is ensured by according women equal access with men to education and vocational and professional training,
equal opportunities in employment,
remuneration, and promotion, and in social and political, and cultural activity, and by special labor and health protection measures for women; by providing conditions enabling mothers to work; by legal protection, and material and moral support for mothers and children, including paid leaves and other benefits for expectant mothers and mothers, and gradual reduction of working time for mothers with small children.
Article 36
(1) Citizens of the USSR of different races and nationalities have equal rights.
(2) Exercise of these rights is ensured by a policy of all-round development and drawing together of all the nations and nationalities of the USSR, by educating citizens in the spirit of
Soviet patriotism and
socialist internationalism, and by the possibility to use their native language and the languages of other peoples in the USSR.
(3) Any direct or indirect limitation of the rights of citizens or establishment of direct or indirect privileges on grounds of race or nationality, and any advocacy of racial or national exclusiveness, hostility, or contempt, are punishable by law.
Article 37
(1) Citizens of other countries and stateless persons in the USSR are guaranteed the rights and freedoms provided by law, including the right to apply to a court and other state bodies for the protection of their personal, property, family, and other rights.
(2) Citizens of other countries and
stateless persons, when in the USSR, are obliged to respect the
Constitution of the USSR and observe Soviet laws.
Article 38
The
USSR grants the right of asylum to foreigners persecuted for defending the interests of the working people and the cause of peace, or for participation in the revolutionary and national-liberation movement, or for progressive social and political, scientific, or other creative activity
Chapter 7 Basic Rights, Freedoms, Duties
Article 39
Freedom
(1) Citizens of the USSR enjoy in full the social,
economic,
political and
personal rights and freedoms proclaimed and guaranteed by the
Constitution of the USSR and by Soviet laws. The
socialist system ensures enlargement of the rights and freedoms of citizens and continuous improvement of their living standards as social, economic, and cultural development programs are fulfilled.
(2) Enjoyment by citizens of their rights and freedoms must not be to the detriment of the interests of society or the state, or infringe the rights of other citizens.
Article 40
Work
(1) Citizens of the USSR have
the right to work (that is, to guaranteed employment and pay in accordance with the quantity and quality of their work, and not below the state-established minimum), including the right to choose their trade or profession, type of job and work in accordance with their inclinations, abilities, training and education, with due account of the needs of society.
(2) This right is ensured by the
socialist economic system, steady growth of the productive forces, free vocational and professional training, improvement of skills, training in new trades or professions, and development of the systems of vocational guidance and job placement.
Article 41
Rest
(1) Citizens of the USSR have
the right to rest and leisure.
(2) This right is ensured by the establishment of a working week not exceeding 41 hours, for workers and other employees, a shorter working day in a number of trades and industries, and shorter hours for night work; by the provision of paid annual holidays, weekly days of rest, extension of the network of cultural, educational, and health-building institutions, and the development on a mass scale of sport, physical culture, and camping and tourism; by the provision of neighborhood
recreational facilities, and of other opportunities for rational use of
free time.
(3) The length of
collective farmers' working and leisure time is established by their
collective farms.
Article 42
Health
(1) Citizens of the USSR have
the right to health protection.
(2) This right is ensured by free, qualified medical care provided by state health institutions; by extension of the network of
therapeutic and health-building institutions; by the development and improvement of safety and hygiene in industry; by carrying out broad
prophylactic measures; by measures to improve the environment; by special care for the health of the rising generation, including prohibition of child labor, excluding the work done by children as part of the school curriculum; and by developing research to prevent and reduce the incidence of disease and ensure citizens a long and active life.
Article 43
Welfare
(1) Citizens of the USSR have the right to maintenance in old age, in sickness, and in the event of complete or partial disability or loss of the breadwinner.
(2) The right is guaranteed by
social insurance of workers and other employees and collective farmers; by allowances for temporary disability; by the provision by the state or by collective farms of retirement pensions, disability pensions, and pensions for loss of the breadwinner; by providing employment for the partially disabled; by care for the elderly and the disabled; and by other forms of social security.
Article 44
Housing
(1) Citizens of the USSR have
the rights to housing.
(2) This right is ensured by the development and upkeep of state and
socially-owned housing; by assistance for
cooperative and individual house building; by fair distribution, under
public control, of the housing that becomes available through fulfillment of the program of building well-appointed dwellings, and by low rents and low charges for utility services. Citizens of the USSR shall take good care of the housing allocated to them.
Article 45
Education
(1) Citizens of the USSR have
the right to education.
(2) This right is ensured by free provision of all forms of education, by the institution of universal, compulsory secondary education, and broad development of vocational, specialized secondary, and
higher education, in which instruction is oriented toward practical activity and production; by the development of extramural, correspondence and evening courses, by the provision of
state scholarships and grants and privileges for students; by the free issue of school textbooks; by the opportunity to attend a school where teaching is in the native language; and by the provision of facilities for
self-education.
Article 46
Culture
(1) Citizens of the USSR have
the right to enjoy cultural benefits.
(2) This rights is ensured by broad access to the cultural treasures of their own land and of the world that are preserved in state and other public collections; by the development and fair distribution of cultural and educational institutions throughout the country; by developing
television and radio broadcasting and the publishing of
books,
newspapers and periodicals, and by extending the
free library service; and by expanding cultural exchanges with other countries.
Article 47
Research
(1) Citizens of the USSR, in accordance with the aims of building
communism, are guaranteed
freedom of scientific, technical, and artistic work. This freedom is ensured by broadening scientific research, encouraging invention and innovation, and developing literature and the arts. The state provides the necessary material conditions for this and support for voluntary societies and unions of workers in the arts, organizes introduction of inventions and innovations in production and other spheres of activity.
(2) The rights of authors, inventors and innovators are protected by the state.
Article 48
Public Affairs
(1) Citizens of the USSR have the right to take part in the management and administration of state and public affairs and in the discussion and adoption of laws and measures of All-Union and local significance.
(2) This right is ensured by the opportunity to vote and to be elected to Soviets of People's Deputies and other elective state bodies, to take part in nationwide discussions and referendums, in people's control, in the work of state bodies, public organizations, and local community groups, and in meetings at places of work or residence.
Article 49
Proposals
(1) Every citizen of the USSR has the right to submit proposals to state bodies and public organizations for improving their activity, and to criticize shortcomings in their work.
(2) Officials are obliged, within established time-limits, to examine citizens' proposals and requests, to reply to them, and to take appropriate action.
(3) Persecution for criticism is prohibited. Persons guilty of such persecution shall be called to account.
Article 50
Expression
(1) In accordance with the interests of the people and in order to strengthen and develop
the socialist system, citizens of the USSR are guaranteed freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly, meetings, street processions and demonstrations.
(2) Exercise of these political freedoms is ensured by putting public buildings, streets, and squares at the disposal of the working people and their organizations, by broad dissemination of information, and by the opportunity to use the press, television, and radio.
Article 51
Association
(1) In accordance with the aims of
building communism, citizens of the USSR have the right to associate in public organizations that promote their
political activity and initiative and satisfaction of their various interests.
(2) Public organizations are guaranteed conditions for successfully performing the functions defined in their rules.
Article 52
Religion
(1) Citizens of the USSR are guaranteed
freedom of conscience, that is, the right to profess or not to profess any religion, and to conduct religious worship or atheistic propaganda.
Incitement of hostility or hatred on religious grounds is prohibited.
(2) In the USSR,
the church is separated from the state, and the school from the church.
Article 53
Family, Marriage
(1) The family enjoys the protection of the state.
(2) Marriage is based on the free consent of the woman and the man; the spouses are completely equal in their family relations.
(3) The state helps the family by providing and developing a broad system of
child-care institutions, by organizing and improving communal services and public catering, by paying grants on the birth of a child, by providing children's allowances and benefits for large families, and other forms of family allowances and assistance.
Article 54
Personal Freedom
Citizens of the USSR are guaranteed
inviolability of the person. No one may be arrested except by a court decision or on the warrant of a procurator.
Article 55
Home
Citizens of the USSR are guaranteed
inviolability of the home. No one may, without lawful grounds, enter a home against the will of those residing in it.
Article 56
Privacy
The privacy of citizens, and of their correspondence, telephone conversations, and telegraphic communications is protected by law.
Article 57
Legal Remedies
(1) Respect for the individual and protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens are the duty of all state bodies, public organizations, and officials.
(2) Citizens of the USSR have the right to protection by the courts against encroachments on their honor and reputation, life and health, and personal freedom and property.
Article 58
Complaint
(1) Citizens of the USSR have the right to lodge a complaint against the actions of officials, state bodies and public bodies. Complaints shall be examined according to the procedure and within the time-limit established by law.
(2) Actions by officials that contravene the law or exceed their powers, and infringe the rights of citizens, may be appealed against in a court in the manner prescribed by law.
(3) Citizens of the USSR have the right to compensation for damage resulting from unlawful actions by state organizations and public organizations, or by officials in the performance of their duties.
Article 59
General
(1) Citizens' exercise of their rights and freedoms is inseparable from the performance of their duties and obligations.
(2) Citizens of the USSR are obliged to observe the
Constitution of the USSR and Soviet laws, comply with the
standards of socialist conduct, and uphold the honor and dignity of
Soviet citizenship.
Article 60
Duty to Work
It is the duty of, and matter of honor for, every able-bodied citizen of the USSR to work conscientiously in his chosen, socially useful occupation, and strictly to observe labor discipline. Evasion of socially useful work is incompatible with the principles of socialist society.
Article 61
Socialist Property
(1) Citizens of the USSR are obliged to preserve and protect socialist property. It is the duty of a citizen of the USSR to combat misappropriation and squandering of state and socially-owned property and to make thrifty use of the people's wealth.
(2) Persons encroaching in any way on socialist property shall be punished according to the law.
Article 62
Interest of State
(1) Citizens of the USSR are obliged to safeguard the interests of the Soviet state, and to enhance its power and prestige.
(2) Defence of the
Socialist Motherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the USSR.
(3)
Betrayal of the Motherland is the gravest of crimes against the people.
Article 63
Military Service
Military service in the ranks of the
Armed Forces of the USSR is an honorable duty of Soviet citizens.
Article 64
Peacekeeping Duty
It is the duty of every citizen of the USSR to respect the national dignity of other citizens, and to strengthen friendship of the nations and nationalities of the multinational Soviet state.
Article 65
Social Behavior
A citizen of the USSR is obliged to respect the rights and lawful interests of other persons, to be uncompromising toward
anti-social behavior, and to help maintain public order.
Article 66
Childcare
Citizens of the USSR are obliged to concern themselves with the upbringing of children, to train them for socially useful work, and to raise them as worthy members of
socialist society. Children are obliged to care for their parents and help them.
Article 67
Protection of Nature
Citizens of the USSR are obliged to protect nature and conserve its riches.
Article 68
Preservation of Culture
Concern for the preservation of historical monuments and other cultural values is a duty and obligation of citizens of the USSR.
Article 69
Internationalist Duties
It is the internationalist duty of citizens of the USSR to promote friendship and cooperation with peoples of other lands and help maintain and strengthen world peace
Onward to Section 3