One of the most important aspects of human rights is that they are unearned. Being of the human species is all that is required, and for a perfectly sound reason: it is intended to prevent governments oppressing unpopular or difficult individuals or groups. No human should be vulnerable to being misused by the mob or the government. That is the essence of human rights and has been for 50 years, and yet the debate about prisoners (and criminals in general) fails to appreciate this simple point. Just because you don't like someone or they make your life difficult, that is not a reason to leave them vulnerable to misuse.

…If human rights had to be earned, if the unpopular could be legally misused, who would decide who has rights and who has none? All governments have an inherent urge to usurp power and to lean heavily on those who stand out from the crowd.…

All have rights, even those we despise.