European human rights law, 2nd edition

Book abstract:

This second edition of the highly acclaimed 'European Human Rights Law' has been extensively updated to cover the major developments of recent years, including the reform of the European Court of Human Rights and the expansion of the system to central and eastern Europe. It reflects the growth in the Court's rich case law as new challenges to human rights come before it. The book also covers the Human Rights Act 1998, which now requires all courts and tribunals in the United Kingdom to give effect to the fundamental rights protected by the convention.

The book introduces both the process and the substance of this increasingly important area of European law. Presenting abstracts from key cases alongside clear commentary, Janis, Kay and Bradley explain the legal rules and court system that has evolved in Strasbourg, how the court works and how European human rights law is enforced both at the national and international level. It also puts European human rights law into a useful comparative framework alongside human rights cases decided by courts in the United States and Canada.

Part I: Structure and process includes sections on The European Convention on Human Rights, Strasbourg's legal machinery and the European Court of Human Rights. Part II: Substantive adjudication in the Court covers the issues of torture, freedom of expression and respect for private and family life, the right to liberty and security of person and the right to a fair and public hearing in the determination of civil rights and criminal charges. Part III; The impact of the Strasbourg System, discusses the effect in national law of the European Convention on Human Rights.