European Court of Human Rights celebrates 20th anniversary

European Court of Human Rights celebrates 20th anniversary

Twenty years after the establishment of a full-time European Court of Human Rights guaranteeing a right of individual petition to over 800 million Europeans, the President of the court Guido Raimondi hailed the establishment of the court in 1998 as a landmark in the development of international human rights.

Following the entry into force of Protocol No. 11 on 1 November 1998, the existing European Commission and Court of Human Rights were replaced with a new, permanent court, in order to strengthen the efficiency of the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Speaking in Strasbourg, Mr Raimondi said: “This permanent court is also the reason why, throughout Europe, hundreds of millions of potential applicants know that in Strasbourg, there is a body that constantly watches over their rights.”

President Raimondi also noted that currently little more than 58,000 applications are pending before the court – down from the significantly higher 160,000 applications pending in 2011.

In the last 20 years, the new court has dealt with more than 800,000 applications, delivering nearly 21,000 judgments.

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