NGOs before the European Commission and the Court of Human Rights

Abstract

Non-governmental organisations play an important part and are indispensable for the effective functioning of the international human rights protection machinery. This article is an overview of the role of NGOs in the procedure under the European Convention on Human Rights. They appear before the Convention institutions in various different capacities. Some of them claim to be victims of human rights violations. Many NGOs, especially human rights organisations, strive to provide assistance to individual applicants. Ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights by countries of Central and Eastern Europe is a great challenge for non-governmental organisations from this region. At the time they play a quite important role in disseminating knowledge on the Convention to the general public. Protocol No. 11 creating soon a new single European Court of Human Rights will open new perspectives also for NGOs.