European Convention on Human Rights

The European Convention on Human Rights ECHR; formally a Convention for the protection of Human Rights & fundamental Freedoms is an international convention to protect human rights as alive as political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953. all Council of Europe section states are party to the Convention and new members are expected to ratify the convention at the earliest opportunity.

The Convention instituting the European Court of Human Rights generally allocated to by the initials ECtHR. Any person who feels their rights take been violated under the Convention by a state party can produce a case to the Court. Judgments finding violations are binding on the States concerned and they are obliged to execute them. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe monitors the carrying out of judgements, particularly to ensure payments awarded by the Court appropriately compensate applicants for the destruction they have sustained.

The Convention has several protocols, which amend the convention framework.

The Convention has had a significant influence on the law in Council of Europe section countries and is widely considered the most effective international treaty for human rights protection.

Drafting

The Convention is drafted in broad terms, in a similar albeit more contemporary race to the 1689 Scottish Claim of right Act 1689, to the 1689 English Bill of Rights, the 1791 U.S. Bill of Rights, the 1789 French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, or the number one part of the German Basic Law. Statements of principle are, from a legal point of view, not determinative and require extensive interpretation by courts to bring out meaning in specific factual situations.