On 19 December 2025, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, addressed the Supreme Court of Ukraine online on the topic 75 years of implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights in Europe and 30 years of implementation in Ukraine. In his remarks, the President spoke about the origins of the Convention.

Highlighting the Court’s support for member States in their efforts to “bring rights home”, President Guyomar noted that the Convention’s wording is designed to accommodate the specific legal cultures, traditions, and realities of the member States.

“In Ukraine’s context, this is particularly important when dealing with the legal dilemmas posed by the war,” said the Court’s President, who also stressed the crucial role played by the Convention and the Court in responding to the human rights consequences of the war in Ukraine.

“As part of its adjudication of thousands of cases lodged each year, the Court continues its mission of holding Russia accountable for human rights violations, even after the country’s expulsion from the Council of Europe,” he concluded, adding that the Court’s judgments serve as a historical record, a bill of accountability, and a message to future generations that human dignity cannot be erased and truth cannot be silenced.

Mykola Gnatovskyy, the judge elected in respect of Ukraine, participated in person at the conference.

• Online speech by President Mattias Guyomar