A solemn ceremony will be held at the European Court of Human Rights this evening to mark the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Convention was opened for signature by Council of Europe member states in Rome on 4 November 1950.
It protects the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of some 700 million people across the continent.
Tonight’s ceremony will start at 6 p.m. Central European Time and will be broadcast live on the Court’s YouTube channel.
The ceremony will include speeches by the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mattias Guyomar, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, the President of the Republic of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, and the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Theodoros Rousopoulos.
Secretary General Berset will underline the enduring importance of the Convention as a democratic compass for Europe, protecting the most vulnerable, holding those in power to account and supporting the work of the courts across the continent.
Speech by the Secretary General
Watch the ceremony *live* from 6 p.m.
Impact of the European Convention on Human Rights
The Parliamentary Assembly’s championing of the Convention
Secretary General Alain Berset
