Abstract
Over the past decade, the rise of both elective and authoritarian political regimes has given credence to the idea that the rule of law and respect for freedoms are merely forms of liberal limitation of democracy. This postulate, shared by critics and many human rights defenders alike, can fuel either an unconditional reliance on human rights against the vagaries of democracy, or a demand for a supposedly more authentic democracy in which the will of the people takes precedence over individual freedoms. But this is nothing more than a misunderstanding (or a subterfuge) that misses the point of the democratic experience, confuses the people with the affirmation of a homogeneous identity, and puts human rights on the side of liberalism alone.
