Wednesday, 12 June 2024

Book Launch: The ECtHR and the Norm Against Torture

On Thursday 20 June (12:00-14:00 CET), the University of Amsterdam is organizing a book launch of the book 'Between Forbearance and Audacity: The European Court of Human Rights and the Norm against Torture', authored by Ezgi Yildiz (California State University, Long Beach). The book was published with Cambridge University Press in November last year. This is the abstract:

'When international courts are given sweeping powers, why would they ever refuse to use them? The book explains how and when courts employ strategies for institutional survival and resilience: forbearance and audacity, which help them adjust their sovereignty costs to pre-empt and mitigate backlash and political pushback. By systematically analysing almost 2,300 judgements from the European Court of Human Rights from 1967–2016, Ezgi Yildiz traces how these strategies shaped the norm against torture and inhumane or degrading treatment. With expert interviews and a nuanced combination of social science and legal methods, Yildiz innovatively demonstrates what the norm entails, and when and how its contents changed over time. Exploring issues central to public international law and international relations, this interdisciplinary study makes a timely intervention in the debate on international courts, international norms, and legal change.'

You can register here for the book launch.