May 19, 2026
by Gehan Gunatilleke In December 2025, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights delivered an important judgment in the case of Tsaava & Others v Georgia, Application Nos. 13186/20 and Four Others (2025). In this article, I examine the Court’s assessment of the interference with the applicants’ freedom of expression. I argue […]
April 20, 2026
What began as an open letter in May 2025 has evolved into an increasingly articulate call by a broad group of European leaders to revisit and reform the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly in relation to migration. This initiative has set in motion a reform process leading up to the May 2026 Chişinău meeting […]
April 10, 2026
By Dr. David Mier Galera Over the last decade, several Central and Eastern European countries have successively elected leaders who reject democratic values. These politicians claim the legitimacy of their popular mandate to dismantle a so-called corrupt elite and portray migrants as an existential threat to the nation’s identity. Abusing their majority mandate, they introduce […]
March 27, 2026
Dr. Türkan Ertuna Lagrand[1] Introduction On 12 March 2026, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) rendered its long awaited judgment in the Shipova case (Case C‑43/24), which breaks new ground in the realm of European Citizenship Law, as well as significantly improves the rights of transgender persons in the EU. The case concerns […]
March 13, 2026
by Dr. Beril Önder In the case of Ortega Ortega v. Spain (4 December 2025), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or the Court) delivered a significant judgment concerning a highly relevant issue for gender equality: effective judicial protection against discrimination on the grounds of sex in the context of employment and equal remuneration. […]
February 23, 2026
We’re excited to bring you closer to the European Court of Human Rights through our brand-new podcast. Join us as we explore key judgments, discuss emerging legal trends, and talk with experts and academics who help make sense of Strasbourg’s evolving jurisprudence. Whether you’re a seasoned legal scholar or just curious about human rights in […]
January 06, 2026
by Zelal Pelin Doğan When the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) finds that a Convention right has been violated, what does that finding ultimately secure for the individual concerned? Does it restore the applicant, as far as possible, to the position they would have occupied absent the violation, or does it increasingly function as […]
December 23, 2025
by Donatas Murauskas On 13 November 2025, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment in A.R. v. Poland. The case concerned the Polish legal framework governing the prohibition of abortion on the ground of foetal abnormality, as well as the 2020 ruling of the Polish Constitutional Court, which effectively restricted access to abortion. […]
December 09, 2025
by Dr. Ufuk Yeşil Introduction: Remedying Violations and the Critical Role of the Retrial Mechanism The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), acting as the ultimate supranational authority monitoring whether member states fulfil their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention), regards the effective implementation of its judgments within domestic law not […]
December 03, 2025
We’re excited to bring you closer to the European Court of Human Rights through our brand-new podcast. Join us as we explore key judgments, discuss emerging legal trends, and talk with experts and academics who help make sense of Strasbourg’s evolving jurisprudence. Whether you’re a seasoned legal scholar or just curious about human rights in […]
December 02, 2025
By Margarita S. Ilieva On 9 September 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (the Court), in Ilareva and Others v. Bulgaria for the first time applied the concept of discrimination by association to human rights defenders (HRDs) targeted by hate speech due to their activism. It found a procedural breach because of a stunted […]
November 25, 2025
**As of September 2025, The Human Rights Research Group at KU Leuven has affiliated with the Human Rights Centre at Ghent University as partners of the Strasbourg Observers blog** Date Conference: 22 May 2026 Location: University of Leuven (Belgium) Conveners: Leuven Centre for Public Law – Human Rights Research Group Keynote speaker: Prof. Başak Çalı […]
October 09, 2025
Dr. Faraz Shahlaei & Dr. Antoine Duval *** Between the first and the eight of October, the Strasbourg Observers blog is hosting a symposium examining various aspects of the ECtHR’s ruling in Semenya v. Switzerland. The symposium was curated by Dr. Antoine Duval and Dr. Faraz Shahlaei. An introduction to the symposium and the case […]
August 06, 2025
by Babette De Naeyer Remember 2003? “Metrosexual” was the word of the year, Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” was everywhere, and “Finding Nemo” captivated younger audiences. In the legal world, 2003 also saw the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR, the Court) deliver its landmark Appleby a.o. v. UK ruling. In Appleby, the Court had to balance […]
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 […]
May 13, 2025
Dr. Anıl Güven Yüksel In Costa i Rosselló and Others v. Spain, delivered on 27 February 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declared the applications inadmissible, reaffirming the compatibility of protecting constitutional order with the Convention framework. The case concerned several members of the Catalan Parliament who challenged enforcement measures—and, in some instances, […]
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 […]
October 14, 2024
8-9 May 2025, Ghent Founded in April 2010, the Strasbourg Observers Blog is soon celebrating its 15th Anniversary. At this occasion, we are organizing a symposium in Ghent, Belgium. This symposium will be an occasion for real-life exchange between the blog’s readers, contributors and the current and former members of its editorial team. At the […]
August 23, 2024
By Júlia Miklasová This blog features an analysis of the common threads that link three recent ECtHR judgments related to the Russia-controlled parts of Georgian territory – the de facto entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia –with the Court’s existing case law. Particularly, the blog focuses on the conflation of the jurisdiction and attribution tests, […]
April 09, 2024
Eva Brems ‘The European Court as the main violator of human rights’, it said on a PowerPoint slide in my ECHR class this semester. This was a presentation by a guest speaker: an attorney with a lot of experience with ECtHR procedures. I had simply invited him to talk about this experience, but he had […]