Human Rights Litigation
Etablissement : Faculté de Droit – Lille et Issy-les-Moulineaux
Langue : Anglais
Formation(s) dans laquelle/lesquelles le cours apparait :
Période : S2
General:
- To provide information on international human rights sources, systems, standards and relevant issues.
- To encourage the development of practical skills for the future professionals.
- To sensitize participants to their particular role in protecting and promoting human rights and their own potential for affecting human rights in their future professional duties.
- To understand the human rights principles, institutions, processes and practices, issues and methods.
Course specific:
- Familiarise with European and international human rights standards and protection mechanisms
- Obtain a comparative perspective on international human rights instruments
- Understand the interplay between the various international and regional instruments and their concrete use for the purpose of human rights litigation
- Acquire skills of human rights litigation at European level
- Know where to search for more in-depth information and use the resources provided.
Module 1 – Litigating human rights cases at international level – introduction to the ECHR protection system
Module 2 – Litigating human rights cases at international level – introduction to the EU and UN protection systems
Module 3 – Litigating human rights cases at international level – ECHR litigation in practice
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Module 1 (12h)
Litigating human rights cases at international level – introduction to the ECHR protection system
Session 1 (23 February): The Council of Europe and the ECHR
– Introduction to the CoE: mandate, institutions and activities; subject matter and implementation mechanisms of the main CoE treaties and their monitoring bodies.
– Introduction to the ECHR system – role, structure and functioning of the ECtHR; procedure before the ECtHR.
– Introduction to the protected rights [part I]: Relative rights (8-11) – scope, positive obligations, interplay with other rights, key case-law.
– Preparation to GC hearing
Session 2 (6 March): The rights protected by the ECHR (part I)
– Attendance ECtHR Grand Chamber hearing in case Collector B.V. and Others v. the Netherlands
– Follow-up discussion on the case and on relative rights (8-11)
– Q&A questions with Registry lawyer
Session 3 (13 March): The rights protected by the ECHR (part II)
– Introduction to the protected rights [part II]: Absolute rights (3, 4) , procedural rights (5, 6), ancillary rights (13, 14) – scope, interplay, key case-law.
– Case studies and practical exercise
Module 2 (4h)
Litigating human rights cases at international level – introduction to the EU and UN protection systems
Session 1 (22 March): Human rights litigation in the EU and before UN bodies
– Comparative perspective of different international mechanisms (EU, CoE, UN)
– Overview of the UN protection system (role, subject matter, mechanisms of implementation of selected UN treaties and correspondent bodies)
– The EU framework: the Fundamental Rights Charter; raising a complaint under the Charter before national courts and the CJEU
Module 3 (8h) : Litigating human rights cases at international level – ECHR litigation in practice
Session 1 (27 March): Lodging a complaint before the ECtHR
– Practical aspects of lodging a complaint: rules on procedure, admissibility criteria
– Practical aspects of effective implementation measures at national level
– Exercise: how to lodge an interim measure request and an individual application at the ECtHR
Session 2 (29 March): Moot court
– Moot court exercise (joint examination of fictional case; group work on pro and contra arguments on admissibility and merits; final oral exposition and vote)
