Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 January 2008
This article is an expanded and footnoted version of the lectur given at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law on Tuesday 21 March 2006, entitled ‘International Law in the European Court of Human Rights’.
The article begins with some comparative comments on the application of the European Convention on Human Rights in monistic and dualistic systems It then discusses in detail the European Court's case law which confirms that the Convention, despite its special character as a human rights treaty, is indeed part of public international law. It concludes that the Convention and international law find themselves in a kind of interactive mutual relationship. checking and buildine on each other.
1 On monism and dualism see Miller, JP and Wildhaber, L, Praxis des Völkerrechts (3rd edn, Stämpfli Bern, 2001) 153–208.Google Scholar On the application of the Convention in Member States see Blackburn, R and Polakiewicz, J (eds), Fundamental Rights in Europe (OUP, Oxford, 2001).Google Scholar
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7 A recent example for such a harmonization without express reliance on the Convention can be found in the judgment of the Turkish Court of Cassation of 18 Apr 2006, which quashed a decision of a lower instance and found that a caricature of Prime Minister RT Erdogan, portraying him as a cat, did not amount to defamation, because it was covered by freedom of expression.
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14 Loizidou v Turkey (merits) [GC], Judgment of 18 12 1996, § 44, ECHR 1996–VI.Google Scholar
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16 Bankovic (n 12), §§ 55 et seq and see text at n 24.
17 Loizidou (preliminary objections) (n 12) § 72.
18 Mamatkulov and Askarov v Turkey [GC], Judgment of 4 02 2005, § 101Google Scholar; Kjeldsen, Busk Madsen, and Pedersen, Judgment of 7 12 1976, § 53, A/23Google Scholar; Soering, Judgment of 7 07 1989, §87, A/161.Google Scholar
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27 Blečić v Croatia [GC], Judgment of 8 03 2006.Google Scholar
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29 Al-Adsani v United Kingdom [GC], Judgment of 21 11 2001, ECHR 2001–XI.Google Scholar
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31 § 54.
32 §§ 60–3.
33 Mamatkulov and Askarov v Turkey [GC], Judgment of 4 02 2005.Google Scholar
34 Cruz Varas v Sweden, Judgment of 20 03 1991, A/201.Google Scholar
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36 § 124.
37 § 128.
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40 §§ 75, 77, and 89.
41 §§ 93–8.
42 Loizidou (merits) (n 14) §§ 43–5.
43 CCPR/C/2/Revl/Add6 (11 11 1994).Google Scholar
44 cf Wildhaber, L, ‘Rund um Belilos’, in Kleinstaat und Menschenrechte, Festgabe für Gerard Batliner (Helbing & Lichtenhahn, Basel/Frankfurt aM, 1993) 323–9Google Scholar; Ziemele, Ineta (ed), Reservations to Human Rights Treaties and the Vienna Convention Regime (Martinus Nijhoff, Leiden/Boston, 2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
45 Bosphorus Hava Yollari Turizm ve Ticaret Anonim §irketi v Ireland [GC], Judgment of 30 06 2005.Google Scholar
46 §§ 73–6.
47 §§ 155–6, 165.