对我国宪法通信自由条款的再认识

Re-understanding the Article on Freedom of Correspondence in the Constitution of China

我国宪法第40条同时规定了通信自由和通信秘密,是对通信自由最全面的规定,使公民的通信权保护更完整,内容更丰富,这种保护达到了前所未有的程度。该条款中“受法律保护”的提法来自苏联1936年宪法,与“不受侵犯”没有本质区别。我国宪法对通信自由的限制属于宪法保留。通信自由的权利主体是自然人,包括外国人,不包括法人。通信自由的义务主体主要是公权力机关。通信自由在权能上包含了发信自由、收信自由和通信秘密。

Article 40 of the constitution of China stipulates the freedom of communication and the confidentiality of communication.It is the most comprehensive regulation on freedom of communication,which,with much rich content,further improved the protection of citizens’right to communication to an unprecedented level.The wording of“protected by law”in this clause comes from the Soviet Union’s 1936 Constitution,which is not essentially different from“inviolable”.The restriction on freedom of communication in the Constitution of our country is the constitutional reservation.The subject of freedom of communication is natural persons,including foreigners,but not legal persons.The subject of freedom of communication is mainly the public authority.The freedom of communication includes the freedom of sending,the freedom of receiving and the secret of communication in terms of power.