The European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) was established in 2003 with the support of the European Commission. Its primary aim is to assist individuals, lawyers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) within the Russian Federation and Georgia, to take cases to the European Court of Human Rights, whilst working to transfer skills and build the capacity of the human rights community.
EHRAC has a long-established partnership with the Russian NGO, Memorial. Formal partnerships were initiated with the Georgian NGOs, Georgian Young Lawyers' Association in 2006 and Article 42 of the Constitution in 2008. EHRAC also has links with many other NGOs and lawyers throughout the Russian Federation, Georgia and in other former Soviet Union countries.
EHRAC implements three complementary programmes:
Human Rights Litigation and Advocacy
EHRAC is currently working on around 250 Russian and Georgian cases at the European Court. These cases concern, among others, extrajudicial executions, disappearance, ethnic discrimination, environmental pollution, torture and criminal justice. Click here for more information on EHRAC's litigation work.
Human Rights Training
By training local lawyers, EHRAC aims to give ordinary people across Russia and Georgia access to lawyers who have the knowledge and skills to represent them effectively at the European Court. EHRAC organises formal training seminars, a legal skills development programme and produces Russian-language training materials.
Raising Awareness and Dissemination of Information
EHRAC actively seeks to draw international attention to the human rights situation in Russia and Georgia and raise awareness of the results of its litigation work. This is achieved through press releases, the EHRAC Bulletin and other events.
Contact us
News
27 August 2010 - On 13-14 September 2010 the AHRI (Association for Human Rights Institutes) is holding a conference on Reforming Human Rights Institutions: Progress and Status in Reykjavik. More information.
28 July 2010 - Updated PACE memorandum (27 May 2010) - Actions of the security forces in the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation: general measures to comply with the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
CoM info doc_general measures in Chechen ECHR cases 27.5.10
27 July 2010 - Can the European Court’s Pilot Judgment Procedure Help Resolve Systemic Human Rights Violations? Burdov and the Failure to Implement Domestic Court Decisions in Russia: Article from Human Rights Law Review (2010) 10(2), which can be accessed here.
27 July 2010 - Watch interviews with lawyers from EHRAC's partner organisations in Russia and Georgia speaking about their work.
16 July 2010 - Watch a video clip about the main European Convention articles and a film presenting the European Court of Human Rights and its activities.
13 July 2010 - European Court rules on Russia: flawed investigation into allegations of police torture and use of unreliable confession breached right to fair trial in the case of Lopata v Russia.
Press release: Lopata judgment
Lopata_judgment
8 July 2010 - European Court rules extradition from Russia to Uzbekistan would violate prohibition on torture in the cases of Yuldashev v Russia and Abdulazhon Isakov v Russia.
Press release: Yuldashev & Isakov judgments
Yuldashev_judgment
Isakov_judgment
8 July 2010 - Read about the EHRAC Legal Skills Development Programme 2010.
1 July 2010 - Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) report on Chechnya fact-finding mission (15-19 February 2010)
PHRG Chechnya mission report
30 June 2010 - Read the latest EHRAC annual report
EHRAC Annual Report 2009
10 June 2010 - European Court finds Russia responsible for 'presumed death' of two Chechen brothers in the case of Ilyasova v Russia.
Press release: Ilyasova judgment
Ilyasova v Russia_judgment
