Introduction
The European Convention on Human Rights originally envisaged two judicial bodies: a court and a commission. Article 19 of the Convention set up the European Commission of Human Rights alongside the European Court of Human Rights.
From 1953 until 1999, the Commission had an intermediary role -- that of shielding the Court from frivolous suits. The Commission would hear cases, then refer its reports to the Court -- the only body with the power to issue a binding legal decision. The Commission also had the discretion to refer its reports to the Committee of Ministers, a political body, which could decide whether the Convention had been violated.
Library Resources
To see more background and reference works available at Diamond Law Library, including older editions, please try these searches on Pegasus:
- Any Field: european commission of human rights AND Subject: human rights
- Title: european commission of human rights AND Subject: human rights
You can find a selected list of publications below.
European Human Rights Law by Call Number: JX4263.P3 Eu74039 2000Publication Date: 2001Structured in three parts, this gives an insightful view of the European human rights system through the prism of the European Commission of Human Rights (in Part I), the European Court of Human Rights (in Part I & Part II) and the national legal system of the Council of Europe member countries (Part III).
Digest of Strasbourg case-law relating to the European convention on human rights by Call Number: JX4263.P3 D568Publication Date: 1984-1998This six-volume digest contains abstracts of published and unpublished decisions and reports of the Commission of Human Rights and judgments of the Court of Human Rights, with cross-references to similar or identical decisions, reports, or judgments. The five volumes of the digest cover the period 1955 to 1982. Each has a loose-leaf supplement that updates its content. They contain case law arranged according to the text of the articles of the Convention and its Protocols to which it relates. The sixth volume, also updated, is a general index to the first five. Although the Digest does not index cases by topic (like a West digest), but according to the ECHR article discussed in the decision, it remains a useful tool for the more sophisticated researcher. The Digest of Strasbourg makes references to the ECHR decisions as published in "Publications de la Cour europeenne des droits de l'homme. Serie A" (Call Number: KJC5132.A52 E88)- Decisions and reports = Décisions et rapports by Call Number: JX4263.P3 Eu2101Publication Date: 1975-1999This is an irregular publication that covers decisions, opinions, and reports of the Commission indexed by the name of the applicant, the name of the respondent state, the article of the Convention to which it relates, and the subject matter.
General Web Resources
- ECHR Case-Law AnalysisA compilation of ECHR case-law resources, including case-law guides, research reports, talks and other information.