They believed that all people have/had the right ...

[quirrell]

Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF, was founded in 1971 by a small group of French doctors. They believed that all people have the right to medical care regardless of race, religion, gender, and political belief.

Q. Should "have" be replaced with "had" in the above sentence? Or is "have" still okay here because what it conveys is not a simple fact, but a sense of obligation?

 

[5jj]

Bac

Q. Should "have" be replaced with "had" in the above sentence?

No. Both tenses are possible.

Or is "have" still okay here because what it conveys is not a simple fact, but a sense of obligation?o

Have conveys no sense of obligation. In indirect speech/thought/belief, backshifting is not essential if the thought is still valid at the time of reporting.

 

[5jj]

@quirrell: I have changed the name of your thread so that it is line with forum guidelines - the title must contain some of the words asked about.