What is the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the nature of its relationship with the UK Government? What impact does it have on UK law?

With British membership of the European Union at the heart of the political agenda, the role of its Court of Human Rights and its influence on UK law has inevitably come under scrutiny. The coalition Government has pledged to withdraw the UK from the European convention of human rights, and to give Parliament the right to veto ECHR rulings. In these 4 films we hear from people who have taken cases to the Strasbourg court. We look at how cases are referred, what laws are used, what the process is like and what impact its judgments have had in the UK - in such high profile examples as Diane Pretty’s ‘Right to Die’ case.

This collection was developed in conjunction with Open University courses W820 Exploring legal meaning and W821 Exploring the boundaries of international law