European Court Of Human Rights To Charge Fees

The European Court of Human Rights is the ultimate court of redress for individuals claiming violations of their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. Since being set up in 1959, the Court has delivered some 10,000 judgments ruling that governments have failed to honour their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Its current resources are stretched by an increasing backlog of cases (more than 110,000 are now pending) and the large number of applications it receives (more than 50,000 last year).

Therefor the European ministers proposed that individuals should pay to file an application with the European Court of Human Rights.
AI: “A proposal to charge fees for filing an application, which received some support, could curtail access to the Court for people in Europe who are unable to pay the Court fees. Equality before the law and access to an effective remedy are rights that states simply cannot sell out.”

The Action Plan adopted at Interlaken in February 2010 includes recommendations to states to take measures to ensure enhanced respect for human rights and effective remedies for human rights violations at home. If states fully respected human rights the court would not be facing such a overwhelming backlog of cases.