Last Updated: Friday, 03 November 2017, 16:08 GMT

Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights

The Court, based in Strasbourg, was set up as a result of the European Convention on Human Rights, created in 1950. This set out a catalogue of civil and political rights and freedoms. It allows people to lodge complaints against States which have signed up to the Convention for alleged violations of those rights. Although founded in 1950, the Court did not actually come into existence until 1959. It gained its present form as a single European Court of Human Rights when Protocol No. 11 to the ECHR took effect in 1998.

The Court is currently made up of 47 judges, one in principle for every State signed up to the Convention. They are elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and serve for six years. Judges sit on the Court as individuals and do not represent their country.  Website: www.echr.coe.int/Pages/home.aspx?p=home
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D.H. V. Finland

28 June 2011 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Smuggling of persons - Trafficking in persons - Unaccompanied / Separated children | Countries: Somalia

Jussila v. Finland

23 November 2006 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Countries: Finland

N. v. Finland

This judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44 § 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision.

26 July 2005 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Deportation / Forcible return | Countries: Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Finland

Ovdienko v. Finland

31 May 2005 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Decision on admissibility | Countries: Finland - Ukraine

N. v. Finland

23 September 2003 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Decision on admissibility | Countries: Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Finland

Lagerblom v. Sweden

This judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44 § 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision. The applicant is a Finnish national who settled in Sweden in the 1980s. In February 1993, he was charged with a criminal offence. He was convicted in May 1994. The sentence was confirmed in appeal in June 1995. During the whole procedure, the applicant, for whom a lawyer was appointed, spoke in Finnish and submitted documents in Finnish. He also wanted to be represented by a different lawyer, one who understood Finnish. Before the Court he complained on the basis of Art. 6 § 3 of the ECHR, that he was not allowed to be defended by a lawyer of his choice. As a consequence his appointed lawyer, who did not or understand speak Finnish, could not carry out his duties properly. The Court started by saying that the right to chose one's lawyer was not absolute, notably when free legal aid is concerned. In appointing lawyers domestic courts should have regard to the wishes of the accused but these can be overridden when necessary for the interests of justice. In this case, the Court noted that the applicant's command of Swedish was sufficient to communicate with his lawyer and that in any case interpretation was provided during the hearings and when submitting documents in Finnish. For all these reasons, the Court decided that there was no breach of Art. 6 § 3 of the ECHR.

14 April 2003 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Countries: Finland - Sweden

Recep Demir v. Finland

23 March 1999 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Expulsion | Countries: Finland - Turkey

Karassev et famille c. Finlande

12 January 1999 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Denial of nationality - Residence permits / Residency - Rights of non-citizens - Statelessness - Visas | Countries: Finland

Karassev and Family v. Finland

12 January 1999 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Denial of nationality - Residence permits / Residency - Rights of non-citizens - Statelessness - Visas | Countries: Finland

Z. v. Finland

25 February 1997 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Document type: Case Law | Topic(s): Evidence (including age and language assessments / medico-legal reports) | Countries: Finland

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