“The efficient execution of the [European Court of Human Rights]’s judgments is essential for the rule of law and democratic accountability in Europe,” Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset reiterated following the publication of the ‘annual report for 2024 on the execution of the court’s rulings’ on Wednesday, 19 March.
As a result, 894 cases were closed in 2024 (a slight drop compared with 2023).
Sixteen of these cases, described as “leading cases”, involve national measures to prevent a recurrence of the reported violations.
Among the challenges are Russia’s total lack of cooperation (40% of cases pending) and Turkish opposition figure Osman Kavala’s continued detention despite the court’s ruling that called for his immediate release and despite repeated calls made by the Committee of Ministers, which is responsible for supervising the execution of judgments.
Among particularly cooperative states, the report specifically honours Ukraine – which, despite the war, “again continued to actively engage” in implementing the ECHR’s judgments, enabling 75 cases (including three “leading cases”) to be closed.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/g14 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)