CYIL vol. 13 (2022)

CYIL 13 ȍ2022Ȏ 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS attention is given to a comparison of Strasburg adjudication and the Convention on one side with a universal human rights covenant and the Human Rights Committee’s jurisprudence on another, taking freedom to manifest a religion as a comparative example. The last two Chapters, forming a part titled “Reform of the Convention”, touches upon both procedural (jurisdictional) and substantive provisions of the Convention. Michal Kučera, a lawyer of the Court’s Registry, elaborates on the procedural aspects of the Court’s advisory jurisdiction after the adoption Protocol No. 16 to the Convention (Chapter 12), while Emil Ruffer , the then Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the Council of Europe, analyses the case-law and practice of States’ temporary derogations under Article 15 of the Convention in times of Covid-19 (Chapter 13). As may be seen from the variety of issues covered, the monograph – not robust in volume – brings a rich selection of the most resounded aspects of the Convention’s current life. Even if the personal style of writing and distinct approach of each author do not result in an entirely homogenous text, this does not hamper the quality of the individual contributions, nor the overall positive perception of the book. The sequence of Chapters follows internal logic, and conveniently, they do not develop the story chain – Chapters may therefore be cherry picked randomly according to a reader’s actual preference. In sum, thanks to contributions from both academics and practitioners, and given the attractive diversity of the content, the publication offers an inspiring reading and would definitely enrich every international lawyer’s bookshelf. For those who wish to stay cognizant of contemporary features of the Convention and to follow closely the topical case-law of the Court, the monograph is highly recommended.

Michaela Sýkorová *

* JUDr. Michaela Sýkorová, LLM, Ph.D. is an expert on Public International Law and currently works as a legal officer at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The review is presented in author’s personal capacity.

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