Great Debates on the European Convention on Human Rights

The 2nd edition of Great Debates on the European Convention on Human Rights encourages deep and critical engagement with the Convention, the Court, and the European system for human rights protection.

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is widely hailed as the most successful regional human rights instrument. The decisions of its European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) are cited all around the world, and every year tens of thousands of people turn to the Court for relief and aid when they consider their human rights have been violated. In each of the 46 countries contracted to the Convention, the ECHR has an everyday impact, shaping law and public policy and being argued in domestic courts.

Law schools in the UK and Europe generally focus on the case law of the Convention and approach it on an article-by-article basis. This grounding in the Convention, the jurisprudence of the Court, and the emerging contestations around whether the Convention properly protects the rights of marginalised and vulnerable groups is a vital foundation for understanding the Convention. However, the law relating to the ECHR is voluminous, and many courses are only able to concentrate on some of the most well-known case law and some topics of particular contention, such as LGBTQIA+ rights, states of emergency, and freedom of the press.

Great Debates on the European Convention on Human Rights builds upon the 'nuts and bolts' grounding in the Convention and workings of the Court. It offers a unique thematic approach to thinking and learning about the Convention. Each of the key debates is illuminated by taking a wide lens on the ECHR: some points of contention are illustrated by reaching across Articles, others by examining national and international arenas, and still others by exploring the ECHR’s organisational structure and working practices.