In the case of Ibrahimov and Mammadov v. Azerbaijan, the Court has found several violations of the Convention. It held that the events in the applicants’ case corresponded to a pattern it had already identified in previous cases concerning the arbitrary arrest and detention of government critics, civil-society activists and human-rights defenders, who had been subjected to retaliatory prosecutions and misuse of the criminal law.

The applicants, both members of the NIDA movement, an opposition-oriented organisation, were arrested in May 2016 after painting political graffiti on a statue of the former president of Azerbaijan. Arrested and prosecuted for drug trafficking, they were subjected to ill-treatment by the police. In particular, the Court found that there had not been sufficient reasonable suspicion to justify their arrest, which, together with their continued pre-trial detention, had been arbitrary.

Press release Country profile - Azerbaijan

In the case of Sanofi Pasteur v. France, the Court has found a violation of the right to a fair hearing on account of the failure to provide reasons for the decision to refuse the applicant company’s request to have questions referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union for a preliminary ruling.

The case concerned the company Sanofi Pasteur’s liability to an individual, a trainee nurse who was vaccinated against hepatitis B and subsequently contracted various illnesses, including multiple sclerosis, and the court order against the applicant company to pay damages.

Press release

In the case of Gaughran v. the United Kingdom the Court held that there had been a violation of the right to respect for private life. 

The case concerned a complaint about the indefinite retention of personal data (DNA profile, fingerprints and photograph) of the applicant who had a spent conviction for driving with excess alcohol in Northern Ireland.

Press release

On 24 February 2020 a panel of 5 judges will examine ten Grand Chamber referral requests.

Press release

Country profiles containing data and information, broken down by individual State, on significant cases considered by the Court or currently pending before it, were updated on 14 February 2020.

There is one country profile for each Council of Europe member State.

Country profiles

The ECHR, in cooperation with the René Cassin Foundation and the Consulate General of Japan in Strasbourg, held a conference Women's Human Rights in the 21st Century: Developments and Challenges in International and European Law on 14 February 2020.

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Programme

On 26 February 2020 the Court will be holding a hearing in the case of Hanan v. Germany concerning an investigation into an airstrike in Afghanistan which killed the applicant’s two sons.

Press release

Calendar of hearings