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Freedom of speech refers to the freedom of individuals to openly express their views without being censured in advance or to be punished for what they say. Free speech is an important element of every modern western democracy. All kinds of ideas, opinions and points of view should be able to be expressed in public. Freedom of speech has also been laid down in Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). However, freedom of speech is rarely absolute: people cannot write or say anything they want to in public. Article 10 of the EHCR clearly indicates this: for instance libel, perjury and inciting violence or murder are punishable offences. But testing whether an utterance is illegal can only be determined in retrospect by a judge.

Freedom of the press, also known as a free press, is the right to publicly express and disseminate views, feelings and thoughts through the use of publications. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press go hand in hand. Freedom of the press means that no advance authorization is required for whatever somebody wishes to publish. But as is the case with respect to free speech, authors can be accused of, for instance, slander, libel, inciting discrimination or sowing hatred. Therefore, freedom of the press does not dismiss responsibility for what is published. Freedom of the press is a fundamental right not only related to being able to publish freely but also being able to gather information freely. Not only newspapers and magazines, but also other media such as radio, television and Internet are included here under 'press'.

The right to demonstrate is, in fact, derived, from the right to association and assembly and the right of freedom of speech. The right to demonstrate, as well as the right to march, is a fundamental democratic right. It is a means for individuals to indicate, for instance, to their leaders and lawmakers what the government is doing wrong. In most European countries, the freedom to demonstrate is at times restricted if a government fears a demonstration will be accompanied by violence and if the safety of others is at stake. Justifiable or not, in actual practice, the right to demonstrate is sometimes considered a threat to public safety.

The right to privacy was defined in the nineteenth century as the right of an individual 'to be left alone'. It is also the right to keep personal information about oneself private. The right to privacy has been laid down in all the important human rights treaties, for example in Article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). Privacy is a broad concept; it is related to the (safeguarding of the) daily activities of an individual's private life. In actual practice, this involves for instance the right to communicate confidentially: nobody should be listened in on or have their mail opened without permission. And privacy also involves the integrity of one's body and the protection of one's property.

Freedom of religion is the right of people to freely profess their religious faith or convictions. It is an individual right: everybody should be able to believe what he or she chooses. It is also a collective right: people should have the freedom to publicly profess their faith along with fellow believers. Religious freedom is guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention for the protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) and in the constitutions of most European countries. History alone illustrates that interpretations of religious freedom are divergent and depend on the country. For instance: in the United States, the government may not interfere in matters of organized religions, while the interpretation of religious freedom in various European countries leans more toward the government not interfering with the (religious) beliefs of its citizens.