24 December 2025
Tampering with the ECtHR
On Human Rights Day, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe convened an informal ministerial conference. The reason was that the ECtHR has come under pressure from its member states. Given the ongoing interference with the Court, I propose that the latter should define and apply contempt measures to sanction member states intruding on its independence and impartiality. States that publicly put political pressure on the Court, try to influence its judgments outside of proceedings, misrepresent its case law and role, or disrespect its authority, should face accountability under the ECHR. Continue reading >>
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15 December 2025
A Divided Response to Migration
On 10 December, the Council of Europe (CoE) ministers met to discuss proposals that could potentially recalibrate the treatment of migration-related issues under the European Convention on Human Rights. This meeting deliberately shifted a debate that had been unfolding in political arenas for months onto the Council’s formal institutional stage. While the formal conclusions call, in diplomatic terms, for a political declaration to be prepared for adoption in May 2026, a separate joint statement of 27 States Parties reveals a harsher line, illustrating the CoE’s internal divisions. Continue reading >>08 December 2025
AI and Human Rights at the European Court of Human Rights
The development of a legal framework for the use of AI is still at an early stage. Moving forward, it is necessary to take into account both the inherent features of the technology and the rights that come under pressure by our use of it. The approach of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will have to be on a case-by-case basis, building on the Convention’s transversal values, applying existing jurisprudence as a stepping stone and making wise use of the “living instrument doctrine”. Continue reading >>
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06 December 2025
Lost in Translation?
Judicial conversations and interactions take place in different settings – sometimes behind closed doors, sometimes out in the open. One open form of conversation is the use of comparative analysis in legal arguments. Focusing on comparative arguments in policy discussions on the right to a healthy environment within the Council of Europe, I will argue that comparative arguments are too often cursory and superficial and that calls for the transferral of elements from one human rights system to another tend to underestimate the complexities involved in such legal transplants. Continue reading >>
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05 December 2025
The European Convention on Human Rights at 75
In the 75 years of its existence, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has proven remarkable resilience as a safeguard for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. With this symposium, we aim to continue thoughtful, constructive and sometimes also critical dialogue between academia and practice, intended to deepen understanding of the impact and influence of the European Convention system on other international and national human rights protection systems – and vice versa. Continue reading >>
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27 November 2025
When Legal Uncertainty Violates Reproductive Rights
In 2020, the Polish Constitutional Court prohibited abortion sought on the grounds of fetal defects. While the ruling was announced, it was not published for three months, creating legal uncertainty which could change at any time. Accordingly, on 13 November 2025, the ECtHR, in A.R. v. Poland, ruled that this instability violates Article 8 of the ECHR. Crucially, the case reveals a deeper dimension of legal uncertainty, as both pro-choice and anti-choice actors were actively involved, seeking to shape the law in opposite directions. Continue reading >>
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27 November 2025
How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Legacy
The Pacific is becoming the most important geostrategic hotspot in the world. European powers are struggling to keep up, and have recently deployed naval forces to contain China. Yet, given the Polynesia’s nuclear past, where France conducted decades of nuclear weapon testing and hundreds of thousands of EU citizens still await compensation for radioactive fallout, addressing this legacy and providing adequate redress to affected military and civilian population is mandatory for any French or European attempts to legitimise their presence in the Pacific. Continue reading >>
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25 November 2025
Grey’s Autonomy
Amid the weakening of constitutional safeguards in Slovakia, the recently amended Statute on Healthcare now allows a person authorised to perform clerical activities to enter an institutional health care facility without any restrictions. At face value, the Statute aims to ensure the patient’s right to spiritual care. Crucially, however, it omits any reference to a patient’s request and consent – a silence that sits at the centre of this post. Article 9 ECHR does not tolerate that kind of vagueness in such a vulnerable environment. Henceforth, the Statute must directly state that access is based on explicit patient consent. Continue reading >>
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21 November 2025
Protesting Outside The Homes Of Politicians
On 13 November 2025, Minister of State for the Home Department Lord Hanson introduced an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill providing for the new “offence of making representations to public office-holders in their home”. Recent years have seen many protests outside the private homes of politicians in the UK. However, it is questionable whether the amendment is compatible with Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on freedom of assembly. Continue reading >>
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10 November 2025