European Criminal Law and Human Rights

The aim of the course is to examine the impact of fundamental rights charters, and the mechanism for their judicial protection, on European national criminal justice systems. The course provides students with knowledge and methodology that they may employ both in the context of judicial practice (as criminal lawyers, attorneys, clerks or judges), and for careers in international institutions and organisations for the protection of human rights in the field of criminal law.

Students who have successfully completed the course will have acquired the following knowledge and skills:
knowledge of the sources of fundamental rights affecting national criminal justice systems;
knowledge of the leading judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union having an impact in criminal justice systems;
the ability to interpret the charter of fundamental rights, even beyond the wording of each single provision;
the ability to navigate conflicting case-law, compare arguments and develop a reasoned position;
the ability to identify critical elements of criminal justice systems and address them through the lens of fundamental rights;
the ability to articulate legal reasoning across the supranational and national dimensions of legal cases;
the ability to understand and to employ appropriate legal language and vocabulary.