The extent to which these rights are protected, and enumerated in the country's laws and constitution reflect the value that the society places on individual rights.
A country, such as the United States or Japan, which enshrines the individual rights of the people in the Constitution and in its laws, clearly places a high value on such rights.
A country that does not, and even goes so far as to outlaw many of these rights, such as the right of public dissent, is not a society that places a high value on such rights (examples include China, Saudi Arabia).