Strasbourg Observers Podcast

In this episode of the Strasbourg Observers Podcast, Cathérine Van de Graaf speaks with Eva Brems (Human Rights Centre, Ghent University) about the 2014 S.A.S. v. France judgment before the European Court of Human Rights. They revisit the Court’s controversial acceptance of the face veil ban under the notion of “living together”, discuss the lack of evidence-based reasoning and the marginalisation of affected women’s voices, and reflect on the judgment’s broader impact on what is now referred to as "the procedural turn" and on further debates on religious dress across Europe.

In this episode of the Strasbourg Observers Podcast, Cathérine Van de Graaf and Eva Brems speak with Corina Heri (Tilburg University) about the European Court of Human Rights' role in the fight against climate change, looking back at the landmark Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v. Switzerland judgment. They discuss the Court’s reasoning on states’ climate obligations, the standing of the KlimaSeniorinnen association, debates about judicial activism, reactions and (non-)implementation in Switzerland, and the implications for future climate cases before national and international courts, as well as within the Council of Europe system.

In this episode of the Strasbourg Observers Podcast, Cathérine Van de Graaf speaks with Professor Philip Leach (Middlesex University, former Director of the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre) about one of the most significant ruptures in the European human rights system: Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe in March 2022. They discuss what the withdrawal means for individual applicants before the European Court of Human Rights, the fate of pending cases, the role of local partners in Russia, and the broader implications for international human rights law.