03
Jul
2026
“A Court for All”: the Court launches its new project in the presence of Strasbourg’s Mayor
On 3 July the Court launched its “A Court for All” project, which will enable anyone interested to visit the Human Rights Building on the first Friday afternoon of every month, starting in September 2026.
Several guests were invited to the project’s launch, including the Mayor of Strasbourg, Catherine Trautmann – who had also attended, in the same capacity, the inauguration of the Human Rights Building on 29 June 1995.
In describing this new project, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, stated “The task of ‘A Court for All’ is to be accessible not only to applicants and to examine the cases brought before it, but also to open up more generally and attempt to reach an audience beyond the sphere of its habitual interlocutors. It must provide information about what it does, in order to earn and maintain public trust”.
The Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli, explained that she and the President had been inspired by the success of the Open Day event in September 2025, and had decided to make the Court accessible on a regular basis. A guided tour would be offered, so that anyone interested could feel welcome within its walls and understand how the Court’s work concerned them.
The Mayor of Strasbourg, Catherine Trautmann, said that returning to the Human Rights Building was a moving experience. She emphasised the building’s symbolism in the heart of the European district, and welcomed the initiative to open the Court’s doors on a monthly basis, noting that an active democracy presupposed open institutions.
Registration for the September visit will open on 8 August; the link will be available on the Court’s website. Given the limited number of places, registration will be on a “first come, first served” basis.
- Speech by the Registrar, Marialena Tsirli (available in French only)
Meeting with representatives with United Nations Treaty bodies
On 30 June 2026, the Court hosted a meeting of judges with representatives with United Nations human rights treaty bodies. The meeting, organised with the support of the René Cassin Foundation and the French National Institute of Public Service (INSP), followed a symposium organised on the previous day to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of former Court President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, René Cassin.
During the meeting, the Court’s judges and the chairs and representatives of the UN Treaty Bodies exchanged views on various human rights issues and respective jurisprudential developments. The forward-looking discussions focused on identifying avenues for closer engagement and the use of jurisprudence, recommendations, and expertise, for a more coherent and effective human rights protection.
Noting that the United Nations is a key partner of the Court, President Mattias Guyomar said that the meeting was an opportunity to nourish dialogue and emphasised that the Court often referred to the case law of the UN Treaty Bodies in its judgments.
Changrok Soh, Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee and Chair of the 38th Meeting of Chairs of the UN Treaty Bodies, also addressed the participants online. His intervention was followed by a working session chaired by the Vice President of the Court and judge elected in respect of Montenegro, Ivana Jelić, on issues relating to the functioning, challenges, and cooperation between institutions. The session featured contributions from Vasilka Sancin, judge elected in respect of Slovenia, and Hélène Tigroudja, Vice Chair of the Human Rights Committee, whose interventions centred on coordination and cooperation between the UN Treaty Bodies and the Court, as well as practical proposals for future action.
The second working session, chaired by Anja Seibert Fohr, judge elected in respect of Germany, focused on the topic of non discrimination in times of disruption and uncertainty. Mykola Gnatovskyy, judge elected in respect of Ukraine, and Tina Stavrinaki, member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Chair of the Working Group on Individual Complaints, spoke about how the non discrimination standards set out by the UN and those developed by the Court in its case law under the Convention apply to today’s realities, including in the context of emerging technologies, climate change, and armed conflict.
Emmanuel Decaux, President of the René Cassin Foundation, delivered the closing remarks, highlighting the Foundation’s commitment to human rights protection in line with René Cassin’s legacy: fostering dialogue between institutions, bringing protection systems closer together, and working towards ever more effective guarantees of fundamental rights.
Vainik and Others v. Estonia
European Court strikes out case concerning total ban on tobacco in Estonian prisons.
In the case of Vainik and Others v. Estonia the Court decided to strike the applications out of its list of cases.
The case concerned the total ban on tobacco in Estonian prisons from October 2017. The three applicants in the case, prisoners at the time, complained that they could not smoke, which had led to them suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
The Court considered that it was no longer necessary to examine the application as the applicant had died and no heirs had come forward. The other two applicants were no longer affected by the ban because they had since been released and had, in any event, failed to respond to the Court’s attempts to contact them.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco holds audience with President of the Court
On 25 June 2025 H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco held an audience in the Prince’s Palace with the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mattias Guyomar. Also in attendance were the judge elected in respect of Monaco, Sébastien Biancheri, and the Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli.
The discussions focused on Monaco’s priorities for its current presidency of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, in particular enhancing democratic resilience, combating financial crime and supporting young people.
The President also briefed H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco on the Court’s achievements under its own three priorities: efficiency, visibility and accountability. The President thanked Monaco for its unwavering support and its active commitment to the Convention system and the Court.
“A Court for All”: the Court launches its new project in the presence of Strasbourg’s Mayor
On 3 July the Court launched its “A Court for All” project, which will enable anyone interested to visit the Human Rights Building on the first Friday afternoon of every month, starting in September 2026.
Several guests were invited to the project’s launch, including the Mayor of Strasbourg, Catherine Trautmann – who had also attended, in the same capacity, the inauguration of the Human Rights Building on 29 June 1995.
In describing this new project, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, stated “The task of ‘A Court for All’ is to be accessible not only to applicants and to examine the cases brought before it, but also to open up more generally and attempt to reach an audience beyond the sphere of its habitual interlocutors. It must provide information about what it does, in order to earn and maintain public trust”.
The Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli, explained that she and the President had been inspired by the success of the Open Day event in September 2025, and had decided to make the Court accessible on a regular basis. A guided tour would be offered, so that anyone interested could feel welcome within its walls and understand how the Court’s work concerned them.
The Mayor of Strasbourg, Catherine Trautmann, said that returning to the Human Rights Building was a moving experience. She emphasised the building’s symbolism in the heart of the European district, and welcomed the initiative to open the Court’s doors on a monthly basis, noting that an active democracy presupposed open institutions.
Registration for the September visit will open on 8 August; the link will be available on the Court’s website. Given the limited number of places, registration will be on a “first come, first served” basis.
- Speech by the Registrar, Marialena Tsirli (available in French only)
Meeting with representatives with United Nations Treaty bodies
On 30 June 2026, the Court hosted a meeting of judges with representatives with United Nations human rights treaty bodies. The meeting, organised with the support of the René Cassin Foundation and the French National Institute of Public Service (INSP), followed a symposium organised on the previous day to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of former Court President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, René Cassin.
During the meeting, the Court’s judges and the chairs and representatives of the UN Treaty Bodies exchanged views on various human rights issues and respective jurisprudential developments. The forward-looking discussions focused on identifying avenues for closer engagement and the use of jurisprudence, recommendations, and expertise, for a more coherent and effective human rights protection.
Noting that the United Nations is a key partner of the Court, President Mattias Guyomar said that the meeting was an opportunity to nourish dialogue and emphasised that the Court often referred to the case law of the UN Treaty Bodies in its judgments.
Changrok Soh, Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee and Chair of the 38th Meeting of Chairs of the UN Treaty Bodies, also addressed the participants online. His intervention was followed by a working session chaired by the Vice President of the Court and judge elected in respect of Montenegro, Ivana Jelić, on issues relating to the functioning, challenges, and cooperation between institutions. The session featured contributions from Vasilka Sancin, judge elected in respect of Slovenia, and Hélène Tigroudja, Vice Chair of the Human Rights Committee, whose interventions centred on coordination and cooperation between the UN Treaty Bodies and the Court, as well as practical proposals for future action.
The second working session, chaired by Anja Seibert Fohr, judge elected in respect of Germany, focused on the topic of non discrimination in times of disruption and uncertainty. Mykola Gnatovskyy, judge elected in respect of Ukraine, and Tina Stavrinaki, member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Chair of the Working Group on Individual Complaints, spoke about how the non discrimination standards set out by the UN and those developed by the Court in its case law under the Convention apply to today’s realities, including in the context of emerging technologies, climate change, and armed conflict.
Emmanuel Decaux, President of the René Cassin Foundation, delivered the closing remarks, highlighting the Foundation’s commitment to human rights protection in line with René Cassin’s legacy: fostering dialogue between institutions, bringing protection systems closer together, and working towards ever more effective guarantees of fundamental rights.
Judicial activities
02/07/26
Measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court are decided in connection with proceedings before the Court, without prejudging any subsequent decisions on the admissibility or merits of the case.
02/07/26
Refusal of authorities to recognise a legal parent-child relationship established abroad failed to take account of Polish child’s best interests.
In the case of A.P. and R.P. v. Poland, the Court held that there had been no violation in respect of most of the complaints but a violation of the right to respect for private life and the prohibition on discrimination in respect of the child.
The cases concerned the refusal by the Polish authorities to recognise a legal parentchild relationship established abroad.
In both cases, a same sex couple living in the United Kingdom in a civil partnership asked to have their child’s birth certificate registered in Poland. The Polish authorities refused in both cases, referring to public policy grounds. In A.P. and R.P. the birth (and biological) mother and her partner were both Polish nationals; they spoke Polish at home and spent a significant amount of time in Poland. The Government confirmed that R.P. had acquired Polish citizenship at birth. In A.D.-K. and Others the birth (and biological) mother was a British national and her partner was Polish.
02/07/26
Forthcoming Grand Chamber ruling.
The Court will be delivering a Grand Chamber ruling in the case of Jesus Pinhal v. Portugal on 9 July 2026.
The case concerns three sets of proceedings brought against the applicant by the criminal-law authorities, the Securities Market Commission and the Bank of Portugal, respectively, for criminal and administrative offences committed while he was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of a private bank, Banco Comercial Português, S.A.
- Press release
- Webcast of the hearing (17/09/2025)
- Country profile: Portugal
02/07/26
Authorities’ inadequate response to allegations of domestic violence, leaving a mother and her children to live in a shelter for over three years.
In the case of Ubeda and Others v. Italy, the Court held that there had been a violation of the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment and of the right to respect for private and family life of the Convention in relation to the complaints of domestic violence.
The case concerned an alleged failure by the national authorities to duly address and assess allegations of domestic violence. The applicants in the case were a mother and her two children. The mother had lodged a complaint with the police against the father of her children and former cohabitant, alleging that, during their relationship, he had been violent towards her and her children, both physically and psychologically. She and her children were placed in a shelter.
The Court held that the proceedings against the alleged perpetrator had not met the requirements of a prompt, thorough and effective investigation as required under the Convention. In addition, sexist and stereotyped remarks made by the prosecutor had resulted in the applicant being subjected to further victimisation. By keeping the applicants in the shelter for over three years, the authorities had breached their obligation to adopt proportionate measures and to carry out, on an ongoing basis, an assessment of the adequacy and proportionality of that measure.
01/07/26
As part of its prevention of conflicts of interest, the Court has revised the Practice Direction on the Institution of proceedings. This revision clarifies the conditions under which a former member of the Registry may represent an applicant before the Court. This text will enter into force on 1 January 2027.
30/06/26
European Court strikes out case concerning total ban on tobacco in Estonian prisons.
In the case of Vainik and Others v. Estonia the Court decided to strike the applications out of its list of cases.
The case concerned the total ban on tobacco in Estonian prisons from October 2017. The three applicants in the case, prisoners at the time, complained that they could not smoke, which had led to them suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
The Court considered that it was no longer necessary to examine the application as the applicant had died and no heirs had come forward. The other two applicants were no longer affected by the ban because they had since been released and had, in any event, failed to respond to the Court’s attempts to contact them.
Press releases on other judgments and decisions
02/07/26
Transparency and outreach
On the agenda
07
Jul
2026
07
Jul
2026
09
Jul
2026
Videos
