European Court of Human Rights

Court established under the European Convention on Human Rights (1950), whereby cases of alleged human rights violations were referred to the Court by the then European Commission of Human Rights, or by a member state of the Council of Europe following a report by the Commission. Under organizational and supervisory reforms, a revised Court came into operation in November 1998.

Court rulings have forced the Republic of Ireland to drop its constitutional ban on homosexuality, and Germany to cease to exclude political left- and right-wingers from the civil service.