Human dignity, the underlying quality of the human being as thus defined, has been embodied in several contemporary constitutional texts, such as in the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, setting off as the inspiring principle of the entire legal system. As of the end of World War II, this principle has been acclaimed and has been included in the constitutional texts of several countries, whose insertion in the German Constitution of 1949 became a milestone. The close relationship of this principle with fundamental rights, especially the principles of adversarial procedures and speedy trial is worth investigating, and that is the purpose of the research for this paper. The curtailment of any of the fundamental rights, such as in the case of the procedural principles brought forth herein, implies the failure to observe a guiding principle of the legal system, that is, the dignity of the human being. The research methodology for this paper was to consult doctrine-framers both from Brazil and from other countries. Specifically in regard to the principle of speedy trial, only an over-all survey was made for purposes of illustration with an overview of the decisions issued by the National Justice Council as well as data from the Human Rights Commission of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Minas Gerais. The conclusion has been reached that obviously human dignity is not set forth in Law, but the conditions for its guarantee pass through the conquests for the exercise of fundamental rights such as adversarial procedures and speedy trial.