Eye-opening experiences and valuable insights into the daily realities of the European Court of Human Rights

The Department of Legal Studies organized the 'Courts in Dialogue' course for Human Rights and Comparative Constitutional Law students for the 8th time in this academic year. The course took place in Strasbourg between November 27 and December 3, 2016 and students had the possibility to spend two days at the European Court of Human Rights and attend a Grand Chamber hearing.

This is how they recall their experience:

"The Courts in Dialogue experience was truly eye-opening, and provided us with immensely valuable insights into the daily realities of the European Court of Human Rights.  I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from Professor Sajó, and to discuss the mechanics of the Court with him.  We met with four different judges throughout the week, and it was fascinating to see the differing ways in which the conceive of the role of the Court as an institution, as well as the challenges they foresee for the Court's future.  Visiting Strasbourg has completely altered my understanding of the Court and the Convention, and has been greatly complementary towards my studies here at CEU.  I wish to thank the Legal Studies department for making this immensely enriching and experience possible for us."

 James Wookey, HR LLM

“I am truly glad that I had a chance to energizing to watch procedures of the largest human rights protection machinery in the world in action. This visit helped me to realize how enormous amount of work the Court handles and how much further resources it needs to enhance human rights protection in Europe further. Eye-opening speeches given by Judge András Sajó and Judge Robert Spano by the clash of different visions expressed will remain inspirational for me. Both gentlemen, even though, of quite divergent views on the role and future of the Court presented appealing visions of improvement in human rights protection. I believe that every human rights activist or professional should be driven by change. Certainly, these two judges are change-makers of their times. We might not share all their claims, but they definitely push their students and listeners out their comfort zones to seek for their change-making concepts. “

 Tomasz Lewinski, HR LLM

"The Courts in Dialogue course was a great opportunity to get a first-hand experience of the work of the European Court of Human Rights. The introductory class we have had earlier this semester provided us with good basics so that we could directly jump in the discussions and have good conversations. Apart from attending the Grand Chamber hearing, I am glad that we had the chance to meet the different judges, hear their perspectives on the role of the Court and have discussion with them in an open and friendly atmosphere. The whole experience made the work of the Court much more conceivable for me than any book ever could and I would like to thank the Legal Studies Department for this opportunity."

Zuzana Pavelková, HR MA

 “This year again, the "Courts in Dialogue" course (11/27/2016- 12/03/2016) gave me and other 9 students a unique opportunity to have a closer look at the Court. But first, we were all amazed about the (post) industrial-space-ship-like sites of the Court, then we entered and had lectures from 4 Judges on the first day, including the Vice-President, Judge Sajó and Judge Pinto de Albuquerque. Judges -  representing very different approaches – did not keep in secret their critics or comments on the Court's: the fear of explicit resistance towards the execution of judgments, case overload, etc.”

 Krisztián Molnár, CCL LLM

“The interactions with the judges and members of the Registry was enlightening because it showed me how fragile the liberal, rights-based order, which the ECtHR has helped to further, is. At a time when geopolitical events are shaping the global order in completely unforeseen ways, it was very interesting to observe the kinds of ways in which a judicial institution like the ECtHR respond in ways which are constructive and helps strengthen the system of human rights protection in the Council of Europe.” 

 Gaurav Mukherjee, CCL LLM