Council of Europe

It is ironic that Ministers of Justice of the 46 Council of Europe (CoE) member states convened on International Human Rights Day to discuss how they might reduce the scope of their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Rather than a much-needed discussion about the effectiveness of the system, for the first time in…

Reproductive rights have become an increasingly central dimension of the contemporary human rights landscape, shaping the evolution of both general human rights doctrine and the specific trajectory of women’s rights. They function not only as indicators of progressive legal development but also as sensitive barometers of broader political shifts. Across the world, resurgent right-wing movements have sought to…

The 11th Judicial “Reform” Draft marks a decisive turn in Turkey’s authoritarian transformation (see here, here and here), recasting criminal law as a moral device of identity governance by penalizing all who deviate from state-prescribed heteronormativity. Framed as necessary to “protect the family”, “raise physically and mentally healthy generations”, and “combat gender-neutrality movements”,…

Introduction  If a week is a long time in politics, then two years is an eternity for the Council of Europe. At the Reykjavik summit in May 2023, European leaders across the political spectrum reaffirmed their “unwavering commitment” to the European Convention on Human Rights as a mechanism to promote peace and stability and the…