Rola Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka w ochronie praw ofiar konfliktów zbrojnych
The role of the European Court of Human Rights in protecting the rights of victims of armed conflicts

Summary/Abstract: The paper attempts to draw attention to the problem related to ensuring protection of the rights and freedoms of victims of armed conflicts in the post-Soviet space. To date this research problem is rather modestly represented in the Polish political science publications. Membership in the Council of Europe of six post-Soviet states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine) at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries provided an opportunity for the citizens as well as temporary residents of these countries, to fully exercise their right to legal personality. Due to lack of effective national legal instruments which make it possible to seek compensation from the state for violating personal rights and freedoms, victims of armed conflicts in the post-Soviet space widely use the possibility of individual claims against the state in the European Court of Human Rights. Despite the fact that the ECHR is not considered competent in the issues of war crimes and crimes against humanity, it acts based on its competence related to the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. The lack of interest of post-Soviet states in cooperation with the International Criminal Court is one of the reasons why in the coming years the European Court of Human Rights will remain the only international judicial institution with a potential of improving the condition of victims of armed conflicts in the region.

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