February 10, 2026
By Dr Rishika Sahgal On 23 October 2025, a Chamber of seven judges of the European Court of Human Rights handed down judgment in a case challenging the proportionality of a demolition order imposed on the home of the applicant, under Article 8 of the Convention. The case raises important issues with regards to the […]
February 03, 2026
By Alexander Hughes The scope of the positive obligation on State authorities to conduct an effective investigation into allegations of sexual violence has once again come before the European Court of Human Rights in A.J. and L.E. v. Spain. The case concerns a regrettably familiar fate for many young women. The applicants alleged that they […]
January 20, 2026
By Dr. Thomas Joyce Introduction In November 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that inmates should not be prohibited from smoking in prison, pursuant to Article 8 of the ECHR. A small number of inmates brought the case against Estonia, after the Estonian Supreme Court (Riigiohus) declared that the complete ban on […]
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 […]
January 09, 2026
by dr Tobias Mortier It is no secret that Azerbaijan’s human rights record is not particularly exemplary. Human rights defenders and civil society activists are increasingly oppressed and silenced. Amnesty International reports that critical voices in Azerbaijan are often imprisoned as punishment on account of their views. In its case law, the European Court of […]
October 31, 2025
By Dr. Elena Patrizi The recent judgement of M.P. and Others v. Greece (application no. 2068/24), decided on 9 September 2025, addresses the question of hearing children in international abduction proceedings, making a significant contribution to the evolution of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (hereafter “the Court”) on this matter. […]
October 14, 2025
by Sam Chollet In T.H. v. Czech Republic, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) reiterated that the requirement for trans* people to undergo genital surgery to have their gender legally recognised violates the right to private life. But this apparent victory for trans* rights represents a drawback for non-binary trans* people. Summary of the […]
August 22, 2025
by dr. Stefanos Xenofontos On 3 July 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (‘ECtHR’ or ‘the Court’) delivered its judgment in the case of N.T. v. Cyprus, unanimously finding violations of Articles 3, 8, and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (‘ECHR’) arising from the Cypriot authorities’ failure to effectively investigate and […]
August 13, 2025
By Sophie Girardini In B.T. and B.K.Cs. v. Hungary, the ECtHR addressed the removal of a Romani child from his mother just three days after birth. The Court found a violation of Article 8 of the Convention due to the flawed decision-making process of the Hungarian authorities in removing the child from family custody. However, it […]
July 30, 2025
by Ana Radina On 6 May 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) delivered a judgment in the case of L.F. and Others v. Italy that concerns adverse effects of long-term exposure to environmental pollution in the Salerno municipality (Campania region). Flexible application of the precautionary principle resulted in the Court’s finding of […]
July 02, 2025
By Lorena Sosa The case of I.C. v. The Republic of Moldova intersects with two strands of ECtHR jurisprudence: (1) the Court’s developing understanding of sexual violence, rape and sexual exploitation, and (2) its evolving anti-stereotyping framework, particularly regarding persons with disabilities. Against the backdrop of landmark rulings, this judgment further enriches the Court’s often […]
June 20, 2025
Eloïse Ward In Ships Waste Oil Collector B.V. and Others v Netherlands, the applicant companies alleged that the transmission of data intercepted during criminal investigations to the Competition Authority violated their rights to private life under Article 8. The substance of this case raises important questions about what safeguards against arbitrariness are adequate when data […]
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 […]
May 09, 2025
By Ellen Desmet, Ilse Derluyn and Sara Lembrechts F.B. v. Belgium concerns the decision of the Belgian Guardianship Service to terminate the support of an unaccompanied minor following an age assessment. While the ECtHR found a violation of Article 8 ECHR due to a lack of sufficient safeguards, it did not substantively engage with the […]
May 02, 2025
by dr. Mathieu Leloup Introduction Parliamentary immunity is a staple of domestic constitutional law, designed to protect free speech in Parliament. It is present in some form or another in every country of the Council of Europe. Broadly defined, it is a legal instrument which inhibits legal action, measures of investigation, or measures of law […]
April 25, 2025
By Reza Khabook On 3 December 2024, the ECtHR issued a Chamber judgment in El Aroud and Soughir v. Belgium. This case concerns the applicants’ citizenship revocation[1] following their terrorism-related convictions in Belgium. The Court concluded that Article 8 had not been violated and excluded the case from the scope of Article 2 of Protocol […]
April 22, 2025
By Catherine Van de Heyning As society digitalised, so did gender-based violence. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) has become an unfortunate byproduct of digitalisation. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) already recognised that cyberviolence may amount to a violation of the right to privacy and, in some instances, even to degrading and inhuman treatment. In […]
April 15, 2025
by Carmen Draghici The Strasbourg Court has been notoriously reluctant to interfere with the domestic regulation of divorce, both as regards its availability (Johnston v. Ireland) and the grounds on which it may be obtained (Babiarz v. Poland, discussed here). Nonetheless, in H.W. v. France, issued in January 2025, it has shown willingness to review […]
April 04, 2025
By Sophie Bols On 16 January 2025, the European Court of Human Rights issued another judgment, A.C. v. France, on age assessment procedures for unaccompanied minors and held that there was a violation of Article 8 ECHR. The Court emphasises the importance of procedural safeguards, reaffirming some of the findings established in Darboe and Camara […]
April 02, 2025
Violetta Sefkow-Werner The recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or the Court) in the case Cannavacciuolo and Others v. Italy of 30 January 2025 concerns a large-scale pollution phenomenon in the Italian Campania region caused by decades-long illegal and uncontrolled waste disposal by private actors and sustained by the government’s systematic […]