The ECHR (1950)

Question 1

What is the ECHR?

Answer 1

• The European Convention on Human Rights is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe.
• Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe.
• European Courts established in 1959 - sits in France and includes more than 27 members of the EU.

Question 2

Successes of the ECHR

Answer 2

• Compliance of its judgements is 90%.
• Condemned the abuse in Russia - Chechnya (2005).
• Bosnian Constitution discriminates against Jews and Roma people (2009).
• Blocked the deportation of Abu Qatatda from the UK to Jordan (2012).
• Holds the EU states in particular to the observance of human rights.

Question 3

Weaknesses of the ECHR - state sovereingty

Answer 3

• If states choose to ignore the ECHR rulings, there is little the court can do (e.g the UK not allowing prisoners to vote and authorising life imprisonment).

+ 2016 = UK Govt’s Investigatory Powers Act was deemed illegal - likely to cause a clash between the UK Parliament and Strasburg of the European Courts of Human Rights.
+ 2015 = Russia passed a law enshrining the principle that, in cases of conflict, Russian national law takes precedence over the ECHR’s rulings.