The European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (hereinafter “ECHR”) is a major human rights protection instrument of the Council of Europe and the execution of the judgments of European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Court”) constitutes an integral part of the ECHR.

Article 46 of the ECHR obligates State parties to execute the final judgments of the Court and authorizes the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to supervise the execution of the Court decisions.

The ECHR has the strongest enforcement mechanisms compared to other international human rights treaties. However, the problem of non-execution and/or delay in the implementation of the Court’s decisions is a major obstacle to effective protection of human rights and freedoms in Contracting States of the Council of Europe.

Only effective implementation can transform the Court’s judgments in favor of applicants from purely moral victories into real and concrete reforms of laws and practices that would benefit other similarly situated victims and prevent repetition of the same violations.

Assistance in prompt and effective execution of the Court’s judgments and decisions is one of the Centre’s top priorities. The Centre addresses the execution of both individual and general measures under Rule 9 of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers for the supervision of the execution of judgments and friendly settlements. We provide help and support to both victims of human rights violations and other organizations, and at both national and international levels.

Members of the Centre’s legal staff have extensive experience in this area and have seen concrete positive results. This work is also facilitated by the Centre’s physical proximity to the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg.

To seek assistance in submission of communications to the Committee of Ministers under Rule 9 of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers for the supervision of the execution of judgments and of the terms of friendly settlements, kindly fill out the online inquiry form, inserting the title “EC(t)HR Execution” and the Centre’s legal experts will respond if the request is within the scope of our activities.