Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Implementing International Human Rights Law at Home: Domestic Politics and the European Court of Human Rights

  • Published:
Human Rights Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) boasts one of the strongest oversight systems in international human rights law, but implementing the ECtHR’s rulings is an inherently domestic and political process. This article begins to bridge the gap between the Court in Strasbourg and the domestic process of implementing the Court’s rulings by looking at the domestic institutions and politics that surround the execution of the ECtHR’s judgments. Using case studies from the UK and Russia, this article identifies two factors that are critical for the domestic implementation of the Court’s rulings: strong domestic, democratic institutions dedicated to implementing the ECtHR’s judgments and an overarching sense of responsibility to set a good example at home and abroad for respecting human rights and the rule of law. This article concludes with a discussion of the steps necessary to facilitate better implementation of the ECtHR’s rulings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The Committee of Ministers maintains a website on the state of execution for the outstanding cases for each state. This website is updated periodically and contains highly detailed information about the measures states have taken—as well as those that they must still take—on open cases (Council of Europe 2009a). As of 2008, the state of execution database contains 519 cases and 2,604 discrete obligations. The data presented in Table 1 are hand-coded from this database. For more information about this classificatory schema, please see (Hillebrecht 2009).

  2. The breakdown is as follows: Lexis-Nexis (428); The Moscow Times (923); The Times (1,030).

  3. Also known as the Human Rights Center “Memorial.”

  4. Emphasis mine.

References

  • Abdullaev N (2002) 12,887 Strasbourg Suits, only 2 rulings. The Moscow Times.

  • Badkhen A (2000) Say what? Hey Europe: we need no pesky rights! Moscow Times.

  • Barkhuysen T, van Emmerik ML (2005) A comparative view on the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. In: Christou T, Raymond JP (eds) European Court of Human Rights: remedies and execution of judgments. British Institute of International and Comparative Law, London, pp 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates E (2005) Supervising the Execution of Judgments Delivered by the European Court of Human Rights: The Challenges Facing the Committee of Ministers. In: Christou T, Raymond JP (eds) European Court of Human Rights: remedies and execution of judgments. British Institute of International and Comparative Law, London, pp 49–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • BBC (2011) May wants Human Rights Act axed

  • Belton C, Gorst, I (2010) US attacks Khodorkovsky guilty verdict. Financial Times.

  • Besson S (2008) The Reception Process in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In: Stone Sweet A, Keller H (eds) A Europe of Rights: the impact of the ECHR on National Legal Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp 32–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buyse A (2009) The pilot judgment procedure at the European Court of Human Rights: possibilities and challenges. Nomiko Vima (The Greek Law Journal) 57:1890–1902.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardenas S (2007) Conflict and compliance: State responses to International Human Rights pressure. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Carozza P (2003) Subsidiarity as a Structural Principle of International Human Rights Law. American Journal of International Law 97:38–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2004) About the Committee of Ministers.

  • Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2008) Supervision of the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2009) Supervision of the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2010) High Level Conference on the Future of the European Court of Human Rights: Interlaken Declaration.

  • Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2011a) High Level Conference on the Future of the European Court of Human Rights: Izmir Declaration.

  • Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2011b) Supervision of the Execution of Judgments and Decisions of the European Court of Human Rights: Annual Report 2011. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2012) Execution of Strasbourg Court Judgments: Considerable Progress but Concern about Major Structural Problems. Press Release DC042.

  • Conant LJ (2002) Justice Contained: Law and Politics in the European Union. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

  • Council of Europe (2004) Protocol No. 14 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Amending the Control System of the Convention.

  • Council of Europe (2009a) State of Execution. Available at: http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/execution/03_cases/.

  • Council of Europe (2009b) Pending cases: current state of execution: cases or group of cases against the United Kingdom.

  • Council of Europe (n.d.) A unique and effective mechanism.

  • Dai X (2005) Why Comply? The Domestic Constituency Mechanism. International Organization 59:363–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Court of Human Rights (2008) Aleksanyan v. Russia Application No. 46468/06.

  • European Court of Human Rights (2009) A. and Others v. the United Kingdom, Application No. 3455/05.

  • European Court of Human Rights (2011a) OAO Neftyanaya kompaniya YUKOS v. Russia Application No: 14902/04.

  • European Court of Human Rights (2011b) Khodorkovsky v. Russia Application No. 5829/04.

  • European Court of Human Rights (2012) European Court of Human Rights Analysis of Statistics 2011. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farer T (1997) The rise of the inter-American Human Rights regime: no longer a unicorn, not yet an ox. Human Rights Quarterly 19:510–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finn P (2005) Russians’ Appeals to Court bring intimidation, death; relatives of missing and dead told not to go to rights body. Washington Post A15.

  • Finn P (2006) European Court Rules Against Russia. Washington Post A25.

  • Finn P (2007a) Moscow Panel Backs Rights Lawyer. Washington Post A14.

  • Finn P (2007b) Russia’s Champoin of Hopeless Cases is Targeted for Disbarment. Washington Post A16.

  • Finn P (2008) Russia to Move Ailing Yukos Defendant to Clinic. Washington Post A16.

  • Ford R (2010) European Court Rules Stop and Search Illegal. The Times.

  • Fresco A, Hamilton F (2010) Unlawful anti-terror powers planned for use during 2012 Olympics. The Times.

  • Griffith J (2001) The Open Conspiracy. Times Online.

  • Halpin T (2008) Judge halts trial of sick Yukos lawyer. The Times 42.

  • Harding L (2007) Supreme Court Ban on Liberal Party Wipes Out Opposition to Putin: Republican Accused of Violating Electoral Law, Protest Rally Planned amid Fears of a Police State. The Guardian 26.

  • Hathaway O (2002) Do human rights treaties make a difference. Yale Law Journal 111:1935–2041.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hathaway O (2007) Why do countries commit to human rights treaties? Journal of Conflict Resolution 51:588–621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins D, Jacoby W (2010) Partial compliance: a comparison of the European and Inter-American Courts for Human Rights. Journal of International Law and International Relations 6:35–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hierbert J (2006) Parliament and the Human Rights Act: can the JCHR Help Facilitate a Culture of Rights? International Journal of Constitutional Law 4:1–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillebrecht C (2009) Rethinking compliance: the challenges and prospects of measuring compliance with International Human Rights Tribunals, Journal of Human Rights Practice 1(3):362–379. doi:10.1093/jhuman/hup018

    Google Scholar 

  • Home Secretary (2011) Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism, Terrorism Act 2000 (Remedial) Order 2011.

  • Human Rights Watch (2000) Inside the “Hell” of Chernokozovo. The Moscow Times.

  • Human Rights Watch (2009) Russia: prosecute rights violations in North Caucasus, European Court Has Issued 104 Rulings Against Moscow Over Killings, Other Attacks. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/de/news/2009/06/04/russia-prosecute-rights-violations-north-caucasus. Accessed 9 Jun 2009.

  • Human Rights Watch (2012) World Report 2012, Russia.

  • Hunt M (1997) Using Human Rights Law in English Courts. Hart, Oxford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt M (2005) State obligations following from a Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. In: Christou T, Raymond JP (eds) European Court of Human Rights: remedies and execution of judgments. British Institute of International and Comparative Law, London, pp 26–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joint Committee on Human Rights (2011a) Seventeenth report. The Terrorism Act 2000 (Remedial) Order 2011: stop and search without reasonable suspicion (second report).

  • Joint Committee on Human Rights (2011b) Twentieth report. Legislative Scrutiny: Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Bill (second Report).

  • Kaboglu IÖ, Koutnatzis S-I (2008) The reception process in Greece and Turkey. In: Stone Sweet A, Keller H (eds) A Europe of rights: the Impact of the ECHR on National Legal Systems. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 451–522.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer A (2008) Criticized, Putin Says Europe Has Rights Abuses of Its Own. The New York Times.

  • Krsticevic V (2007) Implementación de las Decisiones del Sistema Interamerico de Derechos Humanos: Jurisprudencia, Normativa y Experiencias Nacionales. In: Krsticevic V, Tojo L (eds) CEJIL, pp 15–113.

  • Krug P (2006) Internalizing European Court of Human Rights Interpretations: Russia’s Courts of General Jurisdiction and New Directions in Civil Defamation Law. Brookings Journal of International Law 23:1–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert Abdelgawad E (2008) The Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, 2nd ed. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach P (2005) Beyond the Bug River: new approaches to redress by the ECHR. European Human Rights Law Review 148.

  • Leach P, Hardman H, Stephenson S (2010) Can the European Court’s pilot judgment procedure help resolve systemic Human Rights violations? Burdov and the failure to implement domestic court decisions in Russia. Human Rights Law Review 10:346–359. doi:10.1093/hrlr/ngq011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levey C (2009) European Court rulings seem to rankle Kremlin. The New York Times.

  • Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (2009) Responding to Human Rights judgments: Government response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ thirty-first report of session 2007–08). London.

  • Loucaides LG (2008) Reparation for violations of Human Rights under the European Convention and Restitutio in Integrum. European Human Rights Law Review 182–192.

  • Lyon J, Green D (2010) Should prisoners have the right to vote? The Times.

  • Meek J (2006) Review: the best memorial. The Guardian 5.

  • Moscow Times (2006a) Killings in Chechnya Fall by 1/3

  • Moscow Times (2006b) Russia appeals ruling of European Court

  • Moscow Times (2007) Putin pledges to help NGOs

  • Neumayer E (2005) Do International Human Rights Treaties improve respect for Human Rights? Journal of Conflict Resolution 49:925–953.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Office for Criminal Justice Reform (2007) FAQs, Current Human Rights Act Issues in the CJS & Human Rights Act. The Criminal Justice System of England and Wales.

  • Pannick D (2009) European Court Backs Judge’s Right to Freedom of Expression. The Times 59.

  • Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2005) The circumstances surrounding the arrest and prosecution of leading Yukos executives. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pasqualucci JM (2003) The practice and procedure of the inter-American court of Human Rights. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ria Novosti (2004a) Rights, lawsuits to be considered within country: Russian Ombudsman

  • Ria Novosti (2004b) State Duma does not recognize the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling on Ilashku Case

  • Ria Novosti (2004c) Yukos Case has no political undertones

  • Ria Novosti (2005) Court Rejects Appeal of Chechen Who Won Case in Strasbourg

  • Ria Novosti (2010a) Moscow urges Strasbourg to drop Yukos’ $100 Bln claim against it

  • Ria Novosti (2010b) Russia reaffirms commitment to Strasbourg Court

  • Ria Novosti (2011b) European Court straddles the fence on Yukos

  • Rozenberg J (2005) Clark Raises Issue of Quitting Rights Convention. Telegraph.

  • Rozenberg J (2006) Changes to the Legislation are unlikely and unecessary. Telegraph.

  • Ryssdal R, Martens SK (1996) European Court of Human Rights: the enforcement system set up under the European convention on Human Rights; commentary. In: Bulterman MK, Kuijer M (eds) Compliance with judgments of international courts: proceedings of the symposium organized in Honour of Professor Henry G. Schermers By Mordenate College and the Department of International Public Law of Leiden University. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, pp 47–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salinas Alcega S (2009) El Sistema Europeo de Protección de los Derechos Humanos En El Siglo XXI: El Proceso de Reforma para Asegurar Su Eficacia a Largo Plazo, Madrid, Madrid.

  • Simmons BA (2009) Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in domestic politics. Cambridge University Press, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sitaropoulos N (2008) Supervising Execution of the European Court of Human Rights’ Judgments Concerning Minorities: The Committee of Ministers’ Potentials and Constraints. Annuaire International des Droits de L’Homme 3:523–550.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slynn of Hadley, Rt. Hon. the Lord (2005) The development of human rights in the United Kingdom. Fordham International Law Journal 28:477–499.

  • Stone Sweet A, Keller H (2008) The reception of the ECHR in National Legal Orders. A Europe of rights: the impact of the ECHR on National Legal Systems. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 3–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Telegraph (2007) Cameron’s Bill of Rights

  • The National Archives (2006) Foreign and Commonwealth Office International Priorities: Human Rights. Available at: http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20080205132101/www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front%3Fpagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029393564. Accessed 8 Sep 2009.

  • The Times (2007) Kremlin targets champion of hopeless causes

  • The Times (2010) Stop and search powers violate human rights

  • von Staden A (2007) Assessing the Impact of the Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights on Domestic Human Rights Policies.

  • Vreeland J (2008) Political institutions and human rights: why dictatorships enter into the United Nations Convention Against Torture. International Organization 62:65–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wadham J, Mountfield H (2001) Human Rights Act 1998. Second. Blackstone, London.

  • Washington Post (2000) World in brief

  • White GL (2011) European Rights Court Delivers Split Yukos Ruling. Wall Street Journal.

  • Whitehead T (2005) Europe Attacks Blair’s Plan to Expel Fanatics. The Express 2.

  • Whitell G, Fletcher M (2000) Human Rights Council may Suspend Russia. The Times.

  • Wildhaber L (2006) The Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights: recent developments. In: Pierre-Marie Dupuy, et al. (ed) Völkrrecht als Wertordnung: Common Values in International Law. Essays in Honour of Christian Tomuschat. Engel, Kehl, pp 671–680.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The first version of this paper was presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association in New Orleans, Louisiana, and I thank the participants of that panel for their comments and suggestions. I owe a great deal of gratitude to the ECtHR for opening their doors to me. I also am grateful to the Division of International Studies, the Department of Political Science and the Graduate Student Collaborative, all of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; the School of Human Rights Research at Utrecht University; the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and the Department of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for their financial and academic assistance in researching this article. I am very grateful for Margo Berend’s excellent research assistance. Any errors are mine alone.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 526 Oldfather Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA

    Courtney Hillebrecht

Authors
  1. Courtney Hillebrecht
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Courtney Hillebrecht.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hillebrecht, C. Implementing International Human Rights Law at Home: Domestic Politics and the European Court of Human Rights. Hum Rights Rev 13, 279–301 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12142-012-0227-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12142-012-0227-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation