People turn to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg because they feel unable to find justice at home. Though the majority of European states do comply with the Court’s decisions, there are some which are strikingly slow to abide by their obligation to execute the judgments. This is serious - a prompt, full and effective execution of the Court’s judgments is key for the effective implementation of the European Convention’s standards in domestic law, says Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in his latest Human Rights Comment published today.

The standards and procedures are clear. Under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights, states “undertake to abide by the final judgment of the Court in any case to which they are parties”. The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers supervises the execution of the Court’s judgments. It addresses the shortcomings identified by the Court in order to put an end to violations and prevent their recurrence (more...).