European Human Rights Law

Book excerpt: The European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is by now tremendously influential in the legal practice of over forty European states, including the United Kingdom. It is therefore essential that students and lawyers be familiar with the law and procedures of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This second edition of the innovative and highly acclaimed European Human Rights Law has been extensively updated to cover the major developments of recent years, including the reform of the European Court of Human Rights, expansion of the system to central and eastern Europe, and the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into British law. The book introduces both the process and the substance of this increasingly important area of European law. Presenting extracts from key cases alongside clear and intelligent commentary, Janis, Kay, and Bradley explain the legal rules and court system that has evolved in Strasbourg, how the Court works, and how European human rights law is enforced both at the national and international level. It also puts European human rights law into a useful comparative framework alongside human rights cases decided by courts in the United States and Canada.