{"id":1489,"date":"2014-02-04T13:12:08","date_gmt":"2014-02-04T11:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.europewatchdog.info\/?page_id=1489"},"modified":"2026-03-22T12:03:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:03:41","slug":"court","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.europewatchdog.info\/en\/court\/","title":{"rendered":"European Court of Human Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

In order to promote and protect their core values<\/a><\/em><\/strong> – human rights, democracy and the rule of law – the Council of Europe<\/a><\/em><\/strong> member States drew up an international treaty<\/a><\/em><\/strong>: The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>They then made sure that any violation of the demands specified in the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong> could be brought before a court by creating a unique instrument: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).<\/p>\n

The Court was established in 1959. It handles complaints regarding human rights<\/a><\/em><\/strong> violations, lodged by individuals or groups of individuals against a member state as well as complaints made by a member state against another member state.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe Purpose of the Court<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is not a pan-European supreme court, but a specialised legal institution: Based on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, the Court determines whether a state has violated the human rights<\/a><\/em><\/strong> of an applicant – be it through the exercise of state authority in general, within the framework of court proceedings or by a court decision.<\/p>\n

\"\"Every human being within the jurisdiction of a Council of Europe<\/a><\/em><\/strong> member state – even citizens of non-European countries – who considers her or his human rights<\/a><\/em><\/strong> violated by the state is free to lodge a complaint, after having exhausted all national remedies. Moreover, it is entirely irrelevant, whether the person, who lodges a complaint, is a respectable citizen or a lawfully convicted criminal, because the rights and freedoms specified in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong> are guaranteed to all human beings alike.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe Judges
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Every member state has the right to send one judge to the Court. Every judge is elected by the Parliamentary Assembly<\/a><\/em><\/strong> of the Council of Europe<\/a><\/em><\/strong> from a list of three candidates for a nonrecurring nine-year term of office. The judges represent not the interests of their countries of origin, but those of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).<\/p>\n

The Court’s hearings take place within the framework of either the Small Chamber with 7 judges or the Grand Chamber with 17 judges.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe judgments of the Court<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the Court has found a member state guilty of violating the human rights as defined in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, the offending state hast to:<\/p>\n