Andrew Cutting

Andrew Cutting

@andrewcutting.coe.int

Media and comms advisor @ the 46-nation Council of Europe @coe.int + #ECHR = "The most effective human rights protection mechanism in world history" (Shami Chakrabarti) 🔎 https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-cutting-coe/ ⚠️ CoE/ECHR ≠ EU

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Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

The European Convention on Human Rights entered into force on this day in 1953. Since then, the ECHR has helped countless people across Europe seek justice, at home and in Strasbourg. Here are more than 200 examples👇 🔗 www.coe.int/ECHR There are thousands more.

Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

“In the 1970s, it was difficult for gay people. It was a very hostile environment…You could go to jail for life.” People forget, or just don’t realise, the huge impact of the ECHR in making the UK - and the rest of Europe - a better place. 🔗 go.coe.int/1nmWq [🎥 now 5 years old but still valid]

Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

"I knew immediately it was wrong” A BBC Scotland journalist has won his long-running free speech case at the European Court of Human Rights after being unjustly excluded from a court hearing👇 🔗 www.bbc.com/news/article... via www.bbcnews.com Free speech is also about having access to information

bbc.comBBC Scotland wins 8-year legal challenge over exclusion of reporter from courtThe BBC's Steven Duff had been investigating an Aberdeenshire care home when he was asked to leave a court hearing in 2018.
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

📢A new megapoll has found that 53.4% of people in the UK want to stay in the ECHR versus 24.2% of people against👇 🔗 www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o... via @theguardian.com The ECHR is on the side of the people, and vice versa.

theguardian.comHalf of UK wants to rejoin EU and backing it could drive up Labour vote, megapoll findsExclusive: Findings will bolster those in No 10 who want to negotiate on re-entry but some senior figures remain wary
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

❗“The ECHR is not a constraint on British security. It is one of its foundations,” write 3 former Independent Reviewers of Terrorism Legislation👇 🔗 www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a... via @lawsocietygazette.bsky.social “Walking away would not make Britain freer. It would make Britain weaker.”

lawgazette.co.ukThe ECHR is not a constraint on British security. It is one of its foundationsBritain should not be abandoning one of its greatest post-war achievements.
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Interesting: 3 international bodies have lodged a complaint against Belgium at the Council of Europe, claiming that "digital exclusion" (e.g. not being able to do things without a phone) is a violation of people's social rights👇 🔗 www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/2336... via @brusselstimes.com

brusselstimes.comComplaint filed against the Belgian government over digital exclusionMore than 300 testimonies were gathered from 50 civil society organisations on both sides of the language border, as well as in Brussels.
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Interesting: “Whenever a case concerning immigration or linked to Islam arrives at the European Court of Human Rights, ‘engineers of chaos’ appear who distort the reality of the decisions taken”👇 🔗 www.nouvelobs.com/opinions/202... via @nouvelobs.com (FR) Not exclusively a British thing, then.

nouvelobs.comLa Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme et la polygamie, itinéraire d’une nouvelle fake newsDès qu’une affaire concernant l’immigration ou une pratique religieuse en lien avec l’islam arrive à la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, apparaissent des « ingénieurs du chaos » qui déforment la...
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

The European Court of Human Rights will hold a hearing tomorrow in a case concerning 10 Ukrainian children who were living in care when Russia took over Crimea👇 🔗 go.coe.int/55JT6 The ECHR is the only international court examining allegations of serious human rights abuses by Russia in Ukraine.

go.coe.intEuropean Court to hear case of ten Ukrainian children in care in Crimea in 2014<p>Children were allegedly forced to become Russian and put up for adoption</p>
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Interesting: Churchill’s speech in Zürich 80 years ago and the emergence of two different visions of “Europe”👇 🔗 www.swissinfo.ch/eng/history/... via @swissinfo.bsky.social They may share the same flag (and anthem), but the EU and the Council of Europe are very different things.

swissinfo.chWhen Winston Churchill called for European unity in neutral ZurichIn September 1946, Winston Churchill delivered a famous speech in Zurich, calling for a “United States of Europe”. What became of his idea?
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

A landmark survey shows that many UK-based lawyers are concerned about backsliding on the rule of law – including tensions over compliance with international law and the European Convention on Human Rights👇 🔗 www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/lawyers... via @lawsocietygazette.bsky.social

lawgazette.co.ukLawyers lament UK’s ‘backsliding’ on rule of lawA lengthy list of concerns flagged in global bar survey includes government attacks on immigration solicitors.
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Remember when various “non-traditional media” claimed that the European Court of Human Rights/the EU/Europe/whatever was about to legalise polygamy? Not true👇 🔗 www.courthousenews.com/polygamy-spl... via @courthousenews.bsky.social More ECHR-BS

courthousenews.comPolygamy splits a family reunion as European court sides with the NetherlandsEurope’s human rights court backed the Netherlands’ refusal to admit five children from a Yemeni refugee’s polygamous marriages, giving national authorities broad discretion over family reunification.
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Not including a link, but when influential people refer to international courts as “foreign courts” it seems like they are using the word “foreign” in a pejorative sense, as if being foreign is a bad thing.

Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Interesting wording: “The authorities are hemmed in…by the European Convention on Human Rights”👇 🔗 www.thetimes.com/world/europe... via @thetimes.com Possible alternative: “State power is limited by a binding commitment dozens of countries made, after WWII, to treat people like human beings.”

thetimes.comHow Gen Z voters are driving the rise of the AfD in GermanyExit poll data shows not only a remarkable voting trend among under-25s but a transformation in the way general voters view the hard-right party
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

A British woman who was drugged and raped from the age of 15 has used the European Convention on Human Rights to help win compensation from the Metropolitan Police after her abuser evaded justice for more than 30 years👇 🔗 www.bbc.com/news/article... The ECHR is on the side of the people.

bbc.comPolice failed me for decades, says survivor of abuseA woman who was drugged and raped from the age of 15 speaks publicly for the first time about how the police failed her.
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

A British man suffering from dementia faces an ‘inhumane’ deportation after his residency came under threat following Brexit, reports GB News👇 🔗 www.gbnews.com/news/dementi... His family are now turning to the European Court of Human Rights.

gbnews.comBriton suffering with dementia faces 'inhumane' deportation after being ordered to leave care home in just daysMr Mason originally relocated to Sweden after his son Carl had moved there nearly 30 years ago to marry his partner
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

A British team called Quorom has won the Council of Europe’s “Hack the Hate, Renew Democracy 2026” prize for their MOSAIC system to improve the reporting of online abuse👇 🔗 www.coe.int/en/web/porta... @coe.int

coe.intBritain’s Quorum wins Council of Europe’s democracy hackathon - Portal - www.coe.int<p><strong>Prizes – sponsored by Microsoft and the Council of Europe – recognise civic tech excellence and real-world impact</strong></p>
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

What is the "rule of law" and why does it matter? Check out this new explainer from the Council of Europe and several other international organisations and networks working on human rights in Europe👇 go.coe.int/IW09C

Council of Europe@coe.int

Now more than ever, the rule of law matters. It protects everyday life by ensuring fair rules and accountability – from renting a home to signing a job contract. As the rule of law comes under pressure, we must protect it. Read the explainer: go.coe.int/IW09C

Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Interesting case in progress: The European Court of Human Rights can help countries address blind spots in their justice systems and hold states to account for abuses of power that domestic actors can't see, writes LSE professor Kai Möller👇 🔗 www.ft.com/content/a77a... via @financialtimes.com

ft.comMarkus Braun’s six-year detention violates his human rightsThe former Wirecard CEO has been detained since 2020 without a verdict — a length almost without precedent
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

Interesting: Is Crystal Palace’s “**** UEFA” chant covered by free speech guarantees under the European Convention on Human Rights? 🔗 sports.yahoo.com/articles/cry... via @apnews.com and @yahoosports.bsky.social

sports.yahoo.comCrystal Palace fans take their feud with UEFA all the way to Conference League finalTwo little words Crystal Palace fans have vented on their season-long journey in the Conference League ahead of finally sharing a stadium with an unamused UEFA leadership. The chant is often heard at...

Andrew Cutting reposted

Alain Berset
@alain-berset.coe.int

The European Convention on Human Rights protects us all.   When our members have important concerns, we must discuss them together. We are working on a common declaration on migration and the ECHR in Chişinău next week.   My interview with @POLITICOEurope:   www.politico.eu/article/uk-e...

politico.euQuitting ECHR would group Britain with Russia, rights chief warnsSpeaking to POLITICO, the secretary general of the Council of Europe said it was the U.K.’s choice whether it wanted to stay in the treaty or not.

Andrew Cutting reposted

Chalkwitch Tiff
@chalkwitch.bsky.social

Send children use element of the echr all the time when they have to fight for the right to an education suitable for them

Andrew Cutting@andrewcutting.coe.int

What has the European Convention on Human Rights ever done for anyone? A new ITV drama shows how survivors of serial rapist John Worboys used the ECHR to hold the authorities to account for failing to protect women from violence. Find out more👇 🔗 www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk/news/2026/5/...

centreforwomensjustice.org.ukITV Drama, ‘Believe Me’ tells the story of the legal battle by two survivors to hold the police and parole board to account — Centre for Women's JusticeITV’s four‑part drama Believe Me , which airs from 10 May, is the true crime story of the legal battle fought by two survivors of serial rapist taxi driver, John Worboys to hold the police accountabl...
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

What has the European Convention on Human Rights ever done for anyone? A new ITV drama shows how survivors of serial rapist John Worboys used the ECHR to hold the authorities to account for failing to protect women from violence. Find out more👇 🔗 www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk/news/2026/5/...

centreforwomensjustice.org.ukITV Drama, ‘Believe Me’ tells the story of the legal battle by two survivors to hold the police and parole board to account — Centre for Women's JusticeITV’s four‑part drama Believe Me , which airs from 10 May, is the true crime story of the legal battle fought by two survivors of serial rapist taxi driver, John Worboys to hold the police accountabl...
Andrew Cutting
@andrewcutting.coe.int

❗Harriet Wistrich, CEO of the Centre for Women’s Justice, on the John Worboys case: The European Convention on Human Rights is often the only legal tool we have to challenge state institutions who fail to protect women and girls from violence👇 🔗 www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk/news/2026/5/...

centreforwomensjustice.org.ukITV Drama, ‘Believe Me’ tells the story of the legal battle by two survivors to hold the police and parole board to account — Centre for Women's JusticeITV’s four‑part drama Believe Me , which airs from 10 May, is the true crime story of the legal battle fought by two survivors of serial rapist taxi driver, John Worboys to hold the police accountabl...