Avenue de l'Europe
Norris v. Ireland 
| 1988
I wanted full civil and human rights for gay people. I was outraged by the existence of the criminal law: I thought it was indefensible.
David Norris - © Photo: Council of Europe
The law in Ireland said that certain homosexual activities were criminal offences. David Norris was an Irish Senator. He had suffered from anxiety attacks, deep depression and loneliness after realising that any open expression of his sexuality could lead to a criminal prosecution.
The European court ruled that the law criminalising homosexual acts had no proper justification. It therefore breached Mr Norris’ right to a private life.
I think [the judgment] was very significant because it led to a change in the criminal law.
Mary Robinson, counsel for Mr Norris and later the President of Ireland - interview with the Council of Europe - © Photo: Council of Europe
The law was changed in 1993 to legalise homosexual acts between consenting adults.
An NGO organised a series of demonstrations in Warsaw, to highlight discrimination against women and minorities. The gatherings were banned, after the city’s mayor said that he was against them because they included support for gay rights. The European court ruled that the ban violated the right to public assembly. This led to changes to Polish law to protect the right to protest.
Mrs Airey wanted to be legally separated from her husband, who was allegedly a violent alcoholic. However, there was no legal aid and she could not afford the lawyers’ fees. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the lack of legal aid effectively denied Mrs Airey access to a court, breaching her basic rights. Legal aid for such cases was introduced in Ireland in the following year.
For decades, Cypriot law criminalised homosexual relationships between men. Alecos Modinos suffered from strain, apprehension and fear of prosecution due to his relationship with another man. The European court ruled that the criminalisation of Alecos’s sexuality violated his basic rights to a private life. In 1998, Cyprus decriminalised gay relationships.
Ireland
Poland
Cyprus