February 02, 2023
Dear readers, The year 2022 has been tempestuous for the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Most notably, of course, was the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The return of war on the European continent and the human suffering associated with it highlight the importance of defending human rights, democracy and the […]
January 31, 2023
Read moreJanuary 19, 2023
by Balázs Majtényi On 10 November 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) published its decision in the case of Bakirdzi and E.C. v. Hungary. According to the judgment, the representation of national minorities in the Hungarian Parliament violates the right to free elections (Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention) in […]
January 13, 2023
By Tobias Mortier The technique of retrospective legislative regularisation is a disputed one. While the technique takes on different forms in the Belgian legal system, it generally involves the legislator retrospectively regularising a legislative or executive act – and thereby (purposely) influencing pending legal proceedings. Due to its sensitivity in light of the rule of […]
January 03, 2023
By Eva Sevrin and Emma Várnagy G.M. and Others v The Republic of Moldova concerns the imposition of abortions and contraceptive measures upon women with intellectual disabilities. In finding an Article 3 violation, the Court has not only added to its case law on reproductive rights, but also contributed to disability rights under the convention, […]
December 23, 2022
by Nikos Koumoutzis Since 2014, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has been hearing cross-border surrogacy cases concerning the right to recognition of parentage of the child with its intended parents within the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). A fairly large number of such cases have been reported already, and […]
Strasbourg Observers is an academic blog that discusses recent developments at the European Court of Human Rights. The editorial team of Strasbourg Observers is based at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University and the Centre for Government and Law of Hasselt University.
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Awards season is here, and as is tradition, Strasbourg Observers participates with our yearly Best & Worst Poll! 🏆 Vote for the #ECtHR's best judgment, worst judgment and best separate opinion of 2022 here: https://strasbourgobservers.com/2023/02/02/poll-best-and-worst-ecthr-judgment-and-best-separate-opinion-of-2022
Awards season is here, and as is tradition, Strasbourg Observers participates with our yearly Best & Worst Poll! 🏆 Vote for the #ECtHR's best judgment, worst judgment and best separate opinion of 2022 here: https://strasbourgobservers.com/2023/02/02/poll-best-and-worst-ecthr-judgment-and-best-separate-opinion-of-2022
The #ECtHR's #AdvisoryOpinion on French hunters' associations provides a detailed guide for testing discrimination. @_ElifAskin argues that it shows an increasingly coherent approach to the interpretation of Art. 14 ECHR, while some inconsistencies persist https://strasbourgobservers.com/2023/01/31/guidance-for-assessing-discrimination-under-article-14-echr-advisory-opinion-on-the-difference-in-treatment-between-landowners-associations-having-a-recognised-existence-on-the-date/
December 20, 2022
by Péter Kállai On 10 November 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decided that the shortcomings of the minority voting system in Hungary constitute a violation of the right to vote under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 in conjunction with the right to non-discrimination under Article 14 of the European Convention on […]
December 16, 2022
by Bea Streicher Racial profiling constitutes a specific form of racial discrimination, which the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) defines as “use by the police, with no objective or reasonable justification, of grounds such as ‘race’, colour, language, religion, citizenship or national or ethnic origin in control, surveillance or investigation activities” (ECRI General […]
December 13, 2022
By Dr. Sjors Ligthart Introduction De Legé v. the Netherlands revolved around the privilege against self-incrimination. Regardless of the disadvantage suffered by the applicant, the Court considered it necessary to examine the application out of respect for human rights within the meaning of Article 35(3)(b) of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention). In […]
December 02, 2022
By Jean-Baptiste Farcy The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ordered interim measures against Belgium for failing to offer material receptions conditions to 149 asylum-seekers. In the past year, the Belgian government has failed to provide shelter to asylum-seekers due to an alleged lack of reception facilities. Thousands of domestic judgments have also been disregarded […]
November 29, 2022
by Christopher Cowan M.T. and Others v. Sweden concerned the complete suspension of family reunification in Sweden between July 2016 and July 2019 for individuals granted subsidiary-protection status (like the applicants), in contrast to individuals granted refugee status. In a six-one ruling the Court held that there had been no violation of Article 8 in […]
November 23, 2022
By Joseph Finnerty[*] Introduction The rule of law crisis in Poland is not new, but the engagement of Article 18 ECHR with this context is. In Juszczyszyn v. Poland, the ECtHR delivered its first Article 18 violation judgment against Poland. The case concerned the legal reforms that the Polish political ruling party (PiS) has adopted […]
November 15, 2022
Introduction On October 11th 2022, the third section of the Strasbourg Court delivered an important judgment in the case of Pavlov and Others v Russia (Application no. 31612/09), concerning air pollution, which will hopefully prove to have great ramifications for pending and future environmental and climate cases. In short, the majority spelled out that the […]
November 10, 2022
By Serde Atalay and Vladislava Stoyanova When exactly does an eviction occur according to the Strasbourg Court? In Jansons v Latvia (application no. 1434/14), this question lurks behind the majority’s reasoning and the dissenting opinion of Judge O’Leary. This case is one of the “verticalized” cases brought before the Court, concerning, in essence, a private […]
November 08, 2022
by Mathias Möschel On 18 October 2022, the Third Section of the Strasbourg Court, decided two cases dealing for the first time with the question of whether and how far racial profiling by public authorities constitutes a violation of the Convention. The outcome is a mixed one. Whereas in Basu v. Germany the judges held […]
November 01, 2022
By Sanna Mustasaari The long-awaited Grand Chamber judgement in the case of H.F. and Others v. France addressed the refusal by France to repatriate the daughters and grandchildren of the applicants, all French nationals, from Syrian camps. The question of whether States should assume responsibility for their nationals, particularly children, who have been detained in […]
