European Convention on Human Rights

European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), convention adopted by the Council of Europe in 1950 to guard fundamental freedoms and human rights in Europe. Together with its 11 additional protocols, the convention—which entered into force on September 3, 1953—represents the most advanced and successful international experiment in the field to date. On November 4, 1950, the Council of Europe agreed to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the substantive...