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Human rights in Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Henry G. Schemers*
Affiliation:
University of Leiden, Member of the European Commission of Human Rights

Extract

Through the ages many common legal values have developed in western Europe. Notwithstanding the differences in legal systems there is a remarkable uniformity in the basic concepts of legal thinking. All western European states are democracies with constitutional restrictions to the power of the government. They all have similar defences against absolutism and one of these defences is the protection of fundamental human rights against government interference. The existence of such legal restrictions is a distinguishing feature of western European politico-legal development.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Society of Legal Scholars 1986

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References

1 From archontes, the ancient governors of Athens, and kratos, power. See thereon my article, ‘the European Communities under an archontocratic system on international law’, in Das Europa der zweiten Generation, Gedächtnisschrift für Christoph Sasse, Baden-Baden (1981), VOl 1, pp 137–148.

2. CP (50) 189, dated 28 July 1950, CAB 129/41 34611, quoted by Antony Lester in (1984) PL 50.

3. Since the recent acceptance by Greece all Member States of the Council of Europe have accepted the right of individual petition except Turkey, Cyprus and Malta.

4. See Abr, Jochen. Frowein, , Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention und nationaler Rechtsschutz, Juristische Studiengesellschaft Karlsruhe No 166, Heidelberg (1985), p 11.Google Scholar

5. In the early years practically all provisional applications were registered. Registration of only one in about six (see above) is a rather recent development.

6. Case of X v the United Kingdom, Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 5 November 1981, Judgments and Decisions of the Court, Series A, Vol 446.

7. See also B v The United Kingdom, Application No 6870/75.

8. Hamer case, No 7114/75 and Draper case, No 8186/78.

9. Publ ECHR Series A, No 61 and No 67.

10. Golder case, No 4451/70 Publ ECHR, Series A, No 18. See also Kiss case, No 6224/73, DR 7, 55.

11. Publ ECHR, Series B, No 24.

12. Publ ECHR, Series A, No 26.

13. See Campbell case (7511/76) and Cosans case (7743/76), DR 12, 49 and 140; Publ ECHR, Series A, No 48 and No 60.

14. Publ ECHR, Series A, No 38.

15. Lingens case.

16. Publ ECHR, Series A, No 45.

17. DR 9, 126; DN 12, 168; Publ ECHR, Series A, No 44, No 55.