This treaty guarantees core civil and political rights. All 46 member states of the Council of Europe are state parties to the Convention, but not all state parties have ratified each of its 16 protocols.
From the Council of Europe's summary:
The "European Convention on Human Rights" sets forth a number of fundamental rights and freedoms (right to life, prohibition of torture, prohibition of slavery and forced labour, right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, no punishment without law, right to respect for private and family life, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, right to marry, right to an effective remedy, prohibition of discrimination). More rights are granted by additional protocols to the Convention (Protocols 1 (ETS No. 009), 4 (ETS No. 046), 6 (ETS No. 114), 7 (ETS No. 117), 12 (ETS No. 177), 13 (ETS No. 187), 14 (CETS No. 194), 15 (CETS No. 213) and 16 (CETS No. 214)).
Parties undertake to secure these rights and freedoms to everyone within their jurisdiction. The Convention also establishes an international enforcement machinery. To ensure the observance of the engagements undertaken by the Parties, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has been set up. It deals with individual and inter-State petitions. At the request of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Court may also give advisory opinions concerning the interpretation of the Conventions and the protocols thereto. The Committee of Ministers has also a power to ask the Court for an interpretation of a judgment.
The parties to a case must abide by the judgments of the Court and take all necessary measures to comply with them. The Committee of Ministers supervises the execution of judgments. The Secretary General may request Parties to provide explanations on the manner in which their domestic law ensures the effective implementation of the Convention.
For information on how the treaty has been interpreted, look at Theory and Practice of the European Convention on Human Rights and/or A Practitioner’s Guide to the European Convention on Human Rights.