Strasbourg Observers

View posts from: Article 3 ECHR

  • Ergün Cakal

Assessing the adequacy of healthcare in prison: The deference to medical evidence in Fernandez Iradi v. France

February 20, 2026

by Ergün Cakal What is the adequate level of healthcare in prison? How are judges to make such assessments (and how well placed are they to do so anyway)? How is a prisoner’s own refusal of treatment to be weighed in that assessment? When does a lack of healthcare require that a prisoner be released? […]

  • Maële Dumontet

E.A et Association européenne contre les violences faites aux femmes au travail v. France: Analysis of the cooperation between the ECtHR and GREVIO to effectively tackle violence against women in Europe

January 13, 2026

By Maële Dumontet On 4 September 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) adopted a decision in the case E.A et Association européenne contre les violences faites aux femmes au travail v. France concerning the authorities’ failure to criminalise non-consensual sexual intercourse and conduct an effective investigation into the applicant’s allegations of rape. This […]

  • Dr. Katarzyna Sękowska-Kozłowska

X v. Cyprus: a Case of Gang Rape, Victim-Blaming, and Retracted Accusations

June 10, 2025

By Dr. Katarzyna Sękowska-Kozłowska The judgment in X v. Cyprus of 27 February 2025 marks a significant contribution to the European Court of Human Rights’ developing anti-stereotyping approach in cases of sexual violence. While building on its earlier judgments, particularly J.L. v. Italy (commented on here), which exposed victim-blaming stereotypes and re-victimisation, it brings added […]

  • Grażyna Baranowska, Marie-Bénédicte Dembour and Isabel Kienzle.

Evidencing Pushbacks at borders of CoE Member States: Third Party Intervention in A.A.N. and Others v. Greece (38203/20)

April 18, 2025

Grażyna Baranowska Marie-Bénédicte Dembour Isabel Kienzle This post, an output of the DISSECT project, is concomitantly being published on the DISSECT blog Regularly operated at many borders of CoE member states, pushbacks are problematic practices from a human rights perspective. They generally violate the principle of non-refoulement under Article 3 ECHR as well as, most […]

  • Sibel Yılmaz Coşkun

Paradox of Escape from Violence: Suicide as a Potential Consequence of State Negligence in Vieru v. Moldova

January 31, 2025

By Dr. Sibel Yılmaz Coşkun In its judgment Vieru v. the Republic of Moldova (19 November, 2024), the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Moldova violated, among other rights, its substantive obligations under Article 3 ECHR by failing to provide adequate legal protection to T. and take effective measures against prolonged domestic abuse. However, […]

  • Vesna Stefanovska, PhD

Hasmik Khachatryan v. Armenia: State’s failure to adequately respond to serious acts of domestic violence and to fulfill its positive obligations

January 14, 2025

By Vesna Stefanovska, PhD On 12 December 2024, the European Court of Human Rights delivered a judgment in the case of Hasmik Khachatryan v. Armenia. The Court ruled that domestic authorities failed to conduct an autonomous, proactive, and comprehensive risk assessment of further violence and take adequate and sufficient measures to protect the applicant. Moreover, […]

  • Dr Juan Ruiz Ramos

W.A. and Others v. Italy: Is a cry for help not enough to trigger non-refoulement?

March 05, 2024

By Dr Juan Ruiz Ramos Introduction W.A. and Others v. Italy concerns the procedures that States ought to follow to avoid violating the principle of non-refoulement under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Convention). While procedural matters often do not create as much hype among academics as questions of substance—such as the […]

  • Dr. Ronagh McQuigg

The Evolving Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights on Domestic Abuse: A.E. v Bulgaria

June 27, 2023

by Dr. Ronagh McQuigg The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has now built up a substantial body of jurisprudence on domestic abuse. It is now firmly established that failure on the part of State authorities to respond in a sufficient manner to this issue may constitute violations of Articles 2, 3, 8 and 14 of […]

  • Rebecca Smyth

S.F.K. v. Russia and G.M. and Others v. Moldova: the promise and pitfalls of ECtHR forced abortion jurisprudence

February 17, 2023

by Dr. Rebecca Smyth In S.F.K. v. Russia and G.M. and Others v. The Republic of Moldova , the European Court of Human Rights (the Court/ECtHR) found both States responsible for violations of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) due to the applicants being forced to have an abortion against their […]

  • Eva Sevrin and Emma Várnagy

G.M. and Others v Moldova: Beyond paternalism for women with intellectual disabilities and their reproductive rights

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, […]

  • Sanna Mustasaari

The issue of extraterritorial jurisdiction in the repatriation of children detained in Syrian camps: shortcomings in the ECtHR judgment in H.F. and Others v. France

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 […]

  • Zoe L. Tongue and Lewis Graham

Y.P. v Russia: Sterilisation Without Consent, Article 3, and Weak Reproductive Rights at the ECtHR

September 30, 2022

by Zoe L. Tongue and Lewis Graham On the 20th September 2022, the European Court of Human Rights handed down its judgment in Y.P. v Russia, a case concerning the non-consensual sterilisation of a 28-year-old women during a Caesarean section. The Court’s dismissal of the arguments made under Article 3 appears out of step with […]

  • Waleed Mahmoud Elfarrs

E.H. v. France: On a cold day in July

February 18, 2022

By Waleed Mahmoud Elfarrs 1. Introduction On 22 July 2021 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rendered a judgment that could be relevant to the presently sensitive topic of Western Sahara – E.H. v. France, application no. 39126/18. The first of its kind, the judgment concerns the expulsion of an asylum seeker of Sahrawi […]