Constitution of the Seafaring Confederation

The Constitution of the Seafaring Confederation is the fundamental law of the Seafaring Confederation. It was drafted in 1810 and ratified by the member states in 1820. It was created by the Treaty of Hamburg and is often regarded more as a treaty than anything else. The Constitution is the Supreme Law in the Confederation and overrules any other laws or constitutions, but at the same time limits the power of the Constitution and devolves rights to lower Constitutions.

Article 1

 * (1) The Seafaring Confederation consists of the United States of Saxony in its cooperation of the State of Dutch Lower Saxony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands of the United States of Saxony, the State of German Lower Saxony and its independent cities of Bremen and Hamburg, the State of Saxony-Anhalt and the State of Saxony-State, the United Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Jutland in its cooperation of the Duchy of Schleswig, the Duchy of Holstein and the Duchy of Jutland, the Island Provinces of Dogger, the Principality of Howry, the Republic of the Highlands and Anglesey in its cooperation of North and South, the Independent Nation of the Faroe Islands of the Danish Realm of the Seafaring Confederation, the Earldom of Rockall in its cooperation of the Rockallic Federal District, the Viscountcy of An Uinnia, the Viscountcy of An Thir na tÁirdteachd, the Viscountcy of An Móir Leautheinn, the Viscountcy of Cóste Ígheainne and the Viscountcy of Líchthiach Thiair, and the Kingdom of the Islands (Rom).
 * (2) The Capital of the Seafaring Confederation is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

Article 2 (Non-discrimination)

 * All individuals in the Seafaring Confederation shall be treated equally in equal circumstances. Discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, political opinion, race, or gender or on any other grounds whatsoever shall not be permitted.

Article 3 (Nationality)

 * (1) Eligibility and rights to citizenship of the Seafaring Confederation are to be based on the regulation as set out by the member nations.
 * (2) Any individual with the nationality of one of the member nations automatically becomes a citizen of the Seafaring Confederation at the moment that the individual achieves that nationality.
 * (3) Any individual with the nationality of one of the member nations automatically loses his citizenship of the Seafaring Confederation.

Article 4 (Eligibility)

 * All citizens of the Seafaring Confederation shall be equally eligible for appointment to public service.

Article 5 (Right to vote)

 * Every citizen of the Seafaring Confederation shall have an equal right to elect the members of the general representative bodies and to stand for election as a member of those bodies, insofar that it has been found that the citizen in question is considered mentally fit to do so.

Article 6 (Religious freedom)

 * (1) The practice of one's religion is allowed to take place undisturbed and without further restrictions as long as
 * (a) the practice of religion is confined to one's home and religious organization(s)
 * (b) the practice of religion does not negatively affect independent individuals
 * (c) the practice of religion is kept out of politics.
 * (2) All individuals have the right to refuse to be or become a member of a religion. It is illegal to force somebody to be or become a member of a religion.

Article 7 (Expression)

 * (1) Everyone has the right to freely express and disseminate his opinion in speech, writing, and pictures and to freely inform himself from generally accessible sources. Freedom of the press and freedom of reporting by means of broadcasts and films are guaranteed. There may be no censorship, except in cases of
 * (a) protection of youth
 * (b) protection of person against possibly negative, detrimental or lethal public and/or social repercussions
 * (c) protection of rights of personal honour.
 * (2) Art and science, research and teaching are free. The freedom of teaching does not release from allegiance to the constitution.

Article 45 (Death penalty)

 * For him or her who inflicts the gravest of crimes upon another, to which it is included the crime of rape, the crime of utilising fellow humans for the crime of rape or the intend to utilise fellow humans against their will for crimes related to sexual intercourse not under the consent of the fellow human utilised, the crime of abusing a fellow human in a manner that is sexual and against the consent of the fellow human abused, or the crime of taking away the life of another person or the crime of conspiring to cause the death of large amounts of people within the Seafaring Confederation, wherein the age, social standing or any other factor related to or of those convicted or those affected does not have an impact on the final conviction or outcome of the sentence, the sentence shall be death, and death alone, for he or she who inflicts these crimes cannot be trusted to be present on the soil of the Seafaring Confederation.