Safeguarding Human Rights in Light of the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act: A Comparative Reading Based on the Foundations of Imamiyya jurisprudence

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic jurisprudence and principles of Islamic law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 PhD Student, Department of Islamic jurisprudence and principles of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

The expansion of artificial intelligence has confronted the protection of human rights with a new form of technological power: a form of power that does not necessarily operate through overt coercion, but gradually affects individual and social life through data collection, algorithmic prediction, ranking, recommender systems, content generation, and automated decision-making. From this perspective, the central question addressed in this study is how human dignity, privacy, equality, freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to work can be safeguarded against interventions that, although less visible, remain consequential. Adopting a descriptive-analytical and comparative approach, the study examines the Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 [EU AI Act] as an example of rights-based regulation while simultaneously revisiting the foundations of Imamiyya jurisprudence as a basis for assessing the legitimacy of artificial intelligence systems. The findings reveal meaningful convergence between the Act’s risk-based logic and principles such as human dignity, justice, the prohibition of illegitimate domination, protection against interference in private affairs, and the responsibility of the State to prevent harm. This convergence is reflected in requirements relating to risk management, data quality, transparency, human oversight, accountability, and the possibility of challenging decisions. Accordingly, the protection of human rights in the age of artificial intelligence should not remain at the level of declarations of values but must be translated into institutional obligations that are subject to oversight and capable of effective enforcement. The study concludes that the legitimacy of artificial intelligence governance is to be assessed not merely by reference to technical efficiency or economic profitability, but by its capacity to safeguard the human person, constrain algorithmic power, and ensure technological accountability.

Keywords

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Journal of Comparative Public Law
Volume 3, Issue 2 - Serial Number 10
September 2026
Pages 103-137

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