General presentation
Information documents
The Court in brief
The Court in brief brochure is an introduction to the Court and the key dates in its history. It gives a short summary of the Convention and its guarantees and prohibitions.
European Convention - A living instrument
This is an educational publication on the Convention which presents the Convention, its development and its Articles and Protocols in an easy-to-read style.
The European Convention on Human Rights – A living instrument
Useful link
The ECHR in 50 questions
The ECHR in 50 questions answers frequently asked questions on the Convention and the Court.
Questions and Answers
The Questions and Answers are provided for the benefit of potential applicants.
Your application to the ECHR
This pamphlet, describing the various stages of the procedure by which the Court examines an application, is intended to answer the main questions that applicants might ask, especially once their application has been sent to the Court.
Simplified Convention
This simplified version of selected Articles from the Convention tends to present the main rights and freedoms.
The ECHR in facts and figures 2020
This document provides different statistical results about the cases examined by the Court during the year 2020.
Overview 1959-2020
This Overview presents various comparative statistics concerning judgments and violations for the period 1959-2020.
Videos
Film on the Court
Aimed at a wide audience, the film explains how the Court works, describes the challenges faced by it and shows the scope of its activity through examples from the case-law.
Video on the Convention
A short video presenting the main rights and freedoms in the Convention. Aimed at a wide range of viewers, this video is currently available in 38 languages. The Court wishes to encourage initiatives aimed at including this video in civic education programmes. Video Other languages
Video on 60 years of the Convention
Since its adoption on 4 November 1950, the Convention has been supplemented by several Protocols which have added to the rights and freedoms laid down in the original text. Through its case-law, the Court has had the opportunity to interpret the rights and freedoms defined in the Convention. In doing so, it has made the Convention a living instrument capable of applying to situations that did not exist or were inconceivable at the time it was drafted. As a result of the Court's interpretation, the Convention is a resolutely modern treaty that can adapt to contemporary social issues.
Video on lodging an application
This video is a tutorial explaining how the application form must be completed in order to be examined by the Court.
Video on admissibility conditions*
The Court has launched a short video in English and French on the criteria for admissibility, produced with the support of the Principality of Monaco. The video, which is approximately three minutes long, is aimed at the general public and sets out the main conditions required in order to apply to the Court; failure to satisfy these conditions is the reason why the vast majority of applications are rejected.
Video (old version)
Other languages (old versions)
* A new video on the admissibility conditions following the entry into force of the Protocol No. 15 will be available shortly.
Videos on the ECHR's case-law
Four short videos, four minutes each, present some of the aspects of the case-law of the ECHR. Aimed at a wide range of viewers, as well as at the law professionals, these videos are available in both official languages of the organisation.
Case-law of the ECHR and Hate Speech
Case-law of the ECHR and conditions of detention
Human Rights building
The Court is identifiable across the world by the symbol of the building in which it is housed: the Human Rights Building.
46 judges and about 650 Registry staff work there to ensure respect for the human rights of 700 million Europeans in the 46 member States of the Council of Europe that have ratified the Convention.