The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights International Protection vs. National Restrictions

365 Pages·1991·97.429 MB·English

by  Mireille Delmas-Marty (editor)

THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS
International Studies in Human Rights
VOLUME 19
The titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume.
The European Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights:
International Protection Versus
National Restrictions
Edited by
MIREILLE DELMAS-MARTY
Professor at the University of PARIS I (Pantheon-Sorbonne),
Director of the Section de Sciences Criminelles de l'Institut de Droit
Compare de PARIS
Translation directed and edited by
CHRISTINE CHODKIEWICZ
Researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS),
Institut de Droit Compare de PARIS
Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
DORDRECHT/BOSTON/LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The European Convention for the Protection of HumaP Rights
international protection versus national restrictions ! edited by
Mireille Delmas-Marty : translation directed and edited by Christine
Chodk1ewicz.
p. cm. -- <International studies In human rights : v. 19>
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7923-1283-X
1. Human rights--Europe--Interpretatlon and cor.structlon.
2. Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms <1950> I. Delmas-Marty, Mireille. II. Series.
KFC5132.E95 1991
342.4"085--dc20 91-18423
ISBN 0-7923-1283-X
Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xv
General Introduction
PART I I The Ambiguity of the European System
Introduction: Restraining or Legitimating the Reason of State? 7
I I Derogations 8
II I Exceptions 11
III I Restrictions 12
Notes 13
CHAPTER I I Terrorism 15
I. Legitimized Restrictions and Derogations 18
§ 1 - Restrictions Necessary in a Democratic Society 18
§ 2 - Derogations Founded on Exceptional Circumstances 22
II. Unacceptable Derogations 24
§ 1 - Prohibition of Ill Treatment 24
§ 2 - Other Prohibitions 27
Notes 29
CHAPTER II I Control of Aliens 31
I. Legality 32
II. Legitimacy 37
III. Democratic Necessity 42
A - Proportionality 43
11 Present threat 44
v
vi Table of Contents
21 The threat must be genuine and sufficiently serious 45
31 The threat must affect a fundamental interest of society 45
B - The Actual Guarantees 46
11 Availability of remedies 47
21 Ensuring that the deprivation of liberty is lawful 51
Notes 55
CHAPTER III I The Press 59
I. The Principles Employed in Assessing the Restrictions 60
§ 1 - The Medium 60
A - The Spoken Word and Pictures Are More Subject to
Restrictions than the Written Word 60
1I The licensing system 60
2/ Monopolies 62
B - The Written Word 62
1I Freedom of the press 62
21 The duties imposed on the States 63
§ 2 - Content 64
A - The Intermediate Protection Afforded to Civil Speech 64
B - The Special Protection Given to Political Speech 66
1I Political speech 66
21 Right of access of political organizations to the media 68
C - The Lower Degree of Protection Afforded to Commercial
Advertising 69
1I Advertising 69
21 The commercial interests of the media 70
II. Effective Application of the Restrictions 71
§ 1 - Protection of the Reputation or Rights of Others 71
A - The first Lingens Case 72
B - The Second Lingens Case 72
§ 2 - Freedom of Information and Maintaining the Authority and
Impartiality of the Judiciary 73
A - The Authority of the Judiciary 74
B - The Impartiality of the Judiciary 75
11 The presumption of innocence 76
2/ Fair hearing 77
Notes 78
CHAPTER IV I Public Morals 83
I. The Obligations for the States not to Interfere: A "Fuzzy Logic" 84
§ 1 - The Time and Space Criteria of Morals 84
Table of Contents vii
A - The Time Factor 85
B - The Space Factor 85
I/ The Handyside case 85
21 The Dudgeon case 86
§ 2 - Variation of the Domestic Margin of Appreciation of the
Member States as Regards Morals 86
A - The Capacity of the Person Protected 87
II The capacity of person subject to protection 88
21 The capacity of the person subject to restriction 88
B - Nature of the Right Subject to Restrictions 89
II Freedom of expression 89
21 Right to private life 90
II. Positive Obligations Imposed upon the States: A Logic of the
Unsaid 92
§ I - The Van Oosterwijk Case 93
§ 2 - The Rees Case 94
Notes 97
PART II I The Resistance of the States
Introduction: Abuses of the Reason of State 101
Notes 103
CHAPTER I I Belgium 105
I. Effectiveness: A Measure of Differences 105
II. Rights to Relative Protection and the National Margin of
Appreciation 108
§ I - The Rights of Persons Held in Detention 109
§ 2 - Measures for the Deportation of Foreign Nationals 110
§ 3 - Adultery and Homosexuality 111
§ 4 - The Duty of Discretion 112
§ 5 - Equal Treatment as Between Men and Women 113
§ 6 - Telephone Tapping 114
§ 7 - Compulsory Scanning and Medical Examinations 116
Conclusions 116
Notes 117
viii Table of Contents
CHAPTER II I The Federal Republic of Germany 121
I. The Application of the Convention in the Federal Republic
Germany 121
II. Reception of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights
by the German Legislature 123
III. Reception of the Convention by the Judiciary 125
IV. Reception of the Convention by the Doctrine 127
Notes 128
CHAPTER III I France 131
I. Legal Exceptions 132
§ 1 - The "Quality" of the Provisions Underlying the Passing of a
Sentence Involving a Deprivation of Liberty 132
A - Rape 133
B - Terrorism 133
§ 2 - The "Quality" of the Procedural Rules which Underlie
a Deprivation of Liberty 134
A - Persons who Have Committed Acts of Terrorism 134
B - Aliens 136
11 Lawfulness of extradition 136
21 Lawfulness of expulsions 136
31 Lawfulness of the means 137
41 Efficiency of available remedies 138
II. Legitimate Restrictions 138
§ 1 - Protection of Morals 138
A - Positive Evolution 138
B - Deficiencies 139
11 Rape 139
21 Transsexualism 139
C - Improvements to Be Achieved 140
11 Voluntary abortion 140
21 Placards, publications and films 141
§ 2 - Protection of the Rights of Others 143
§ 3 - The Prevention of Disorder and Criminal Offences 144
A - The Protection of Order 144
B - The Prevention of Criminal Offences 145
Addendum 146
Notes 147
Table of Contents ix
CHAPTER IV I Greece 151
I. From 1953 to 1969. Criminal Law Policies Founded on the Model
of an Authoritarian State 152
§ 1 - 1953 to 1967 152
§ 2 - 1967 to 1969 154
II. From 1974 onwards. Criminal Law Policies under Democracy
Founded on a Liberal Model 156
§ 1 - The Status and Implementation of the Convention 157
§ 2 - The Effectiveness of the Convention in Domestic Law 158
A - Individual Fundamental Rights under the Greek
Constitution 159
11 Rights with absolute protection 159
21 Rights with relative protection 160
B - The Exercise by the Courts of the Dual Control of
Constitutionality and Conventionality of the Law 163
§ 3 - The Influence of the Convention on Greek Domestic
Legislation 165
§ 4 - Miscellaneous Restrictive Measures under Greek Legislation 165
A - The Right to Liberty 166
B - The Right to Correspondence 166
C - The Right to Expression 166
Notes 167
CHAPTER V I Iberian Peninsula: Spain and Portugal 171
I. The Convention in Relation to the Two Legal Systems of the
Iberian Peninsula 173
§ 1 - An Identical Place in the Hierarchy of Norms 173
A - Self-executing nature of the Convention 173
B - Position of the Convention amongst the Sources of
the Law 174
§ 2 - A Different Impact on the Constitutional Protection of Human
Rights 175
A - Spain: A Binding Constitutional Interpretation of
Human Rights 175
11 A desire to align with international protection 175
21 Reinforced Protection 177
B - Greater Autonomy of the Portuguese Constitutional
Protection 179
1I Incertitude of the Constitutional Court as to its
jurisdiction 180
21 Autonomous interpretation of the constitutional
catalogue of human rights 180