Course code JurZ2024

Credit points 2
ECTS creditpoints 3
Total Contact Hours 32
Number of hours for lectures 24
Number of hours for seminars and practical assignments 8
Date of course confirmation 28.02.2005
Responsible Unit Faculty of Law
Responsible course teaching staff Artūrs Kučs
Course developers Artūrs Kučs

Course abstract

The course provides an opportunity to study the basics of the international human rights law and the implementation of the international human rights standards in the Baltic States.

At the beginning of the course there will be an introduction in the basics of international law and human rights law, models of interrelation between the national and international law in order to facilitate the better understanding of the course for those students who do not have a legal background.

The course comprises the study of the international human rights protection system and the main United Nations human rights treaties. This is followed by the analysis of the human rights protection system established in Europe and its impact on the development of human rights in the Baltic States.

The final part of the course is devoted to the comparative study of international human right standards in the Baltic States, the progress and problems identified in their implementation. Furthermore, the human rights guarantees in the national constitutions and human rights protection mechanisms at the state level will be analyzed.

The course consists of 12 lectures and 4 seminars.

Compulsory reading

1.R.Hanski and M.Suksi, An Introduction to the International Protection of Human Rights. 2nd edition, Institute for Human Rights, Abo Akademi University, 1999.

2.D.Gomien, Short guide to the European Convention on Human Rights. 2nd edition. Council of Europe Publishing. 2000.

3.Nowak Manfred. "U.N. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, CCPR Commentary". N.P.Engel, Publisher, 1993,

4. Constitution and Human Rights, Yearbook 1999, Latvian Human Rights Quarterly, 7-10, 1999

Further reading

1. Luzius Wildhaber, Protection against discrimination under the European Convention on Human Rights - a second class Guarantee? // Riga Graduate School of Law Working Paper Nr.1, Riga, 2001.

2. P. Van Dijk, G.J.H van Hoof, Theory and Practice of the European Convention on Human Rights, 3rd edition, Kluwer Law International, 1998.

3. Baltic Yearbook of International Law, Kluwer Law International, Volume 2, 2002.

Internet resources:

1.Lietuvas Republikas Konstitucionālās tiesas mājas lapa: www.lrkt.lt

2.Latvijas Republikas Konstitucionālās tiesas mājas lapa: http:// satv.tiesa.gov.lv

3.ANO cilvēktiesību līgumus uzraugošo institūciju datu bāze:http://www.bayefsky.com/

4.Eiropas Cilvēktiesību tiesas datu bāze: http:// hudoc.echr.coe.int

Periodicals and other sources

1.European Human Rights Review.

2.Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights.

3. Baltic Yearbook of International Law.stitute of History. 1996 - 2010.