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ThorbjÃ¸rn Jagland: â€œReform has strengthened the role and authority of the European Court of Human Rightsâ€

20 April 2012 07:47 (UTC +04:00)

Reform â€œhas strengthened the role and authority of the European Court of Human Rightsâ€, Mr Jagland told a conference on the future of the Court in Brighton, UK. States now needed to step up to the challenges of improving implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights at national level and making sure they acted quickly and effectively on the Courtâ€™s judgments so as to both meet their obligations and cut the Courtâ€™s backlog by putting a stop to repetitive applications.

â€œEffective human rights protection starts at home. The meaning of the Court was never to take over responsibility of the national courts,â€ he stated.

â€œMember states have themselves freely chosen to submit to an international judicial control mechanism, because they are deeply convinced that this is a vital safeguard for democracy, freedom and peace across our continent. Basic human rights do not come from any majority or any authority. They come from the fact that we are all human beings and that every nation has an obligation to uphold these rights by law,â€ he added.