Recently, the leaders of nine European states, out of 46 Council of Europe members, issued a joint statement calling for a fundamental revision of the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (‘ECHR’) on immigration issues. Initially pioneered by Italy and Denmark, and supported by Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, the statement acknowledges commitment to a rule-based international order and “universal and everlasting” ideas underpinning the ECHR, yet questions whether existing treaties match contemporary challenges of immigration. It urges the European Court of Human Rights (‘ECtHR’) to revise its previously adopted interpretations, accusing it of “extend[ing] the scope of the Convention too far as compared with the original intentions”, limiting the governments’ discretion in protecting their “democratic societies and […] populations”, instead “result[ing] in the protection of the wrong people”. The governments call for “restor[ing] the right balance”, arguing that national security, as “the highest priority”, should leave more room for domestic decision-making. Politicians from other states, e.g., the United Kingdom’s shadow home secretary, followed up, declaring that…
European Court of Human Rights
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Capping Freedom of Expression? Assessing Kneecap’s Controversy under the ECHR
On Friday 23rd May, the Irish-language rap trio Kneecap headlined London’s Wide Awake music festival at Brixton’s Broxwell Park. Attended by 20,000 fans, this marked the Belfast group’s first stage performance since the announcement that the Metropolitan police charged one of the group’s members with terrorism offences. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (stage name Mo Chara), is…
Sex in Prison: The International Human Rights Framework on Conjugal Visits, Starting from the Case of Italy
When was the last time you had sex? For many detainees in Italian prisons, the answer is probably years. But things are changing. In April, the first intimate visit took place in an Italian detention centre. The inmate met his partner for two hours in a room with a double bed, not monitored by the penitentiary police,…
From Extraterritorial Obligations to Aggravated Responsibility: How Regional Human Rights Courts Could Shape the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
In March 2023, the United Nations General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on states’ responsibilities under international law to protect the climate system for current and future generations. The Court’s Opinion is expected to clarify the content and scope of human rights obligations and their implications for state…
ECtHR grants interim measure concerning Serbia: Controversies in the possible use of sonic weapons against protesters
On 29 April 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or the Court) granted part of the applicants’ requests to issue an interim measure in the case of Đorović and Others v. Serbia (App.no. 8904/25). The case involves the alleged use of a sonic weapon for crowd control by the authorities at demonstrations and…
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