The Case of Janowiec and Others v. Russia: Relinquishment of Jurisdiction in Favour of the Court of History

Abstract

In the Janowiec and Others v. Russia case, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), trying to find its way between the Scylla of humanitarian ideals and the Charybdis of State sovereignty, demonstrated its unwillingness to deal in detail with the black pages of Europe’s past, handing this right over to historians. The article first draws parallels between temporary jurisdiction of the Inter-American Courts of Human Rights and the ECtHR. Both of them found ways to overcome the non-retroactivity principle, but by using different techniques. Secondly the article analyzes how the presumption of death became the factor severing the link between the substantive and procedural limbs of violation of the right to life, turning the latter aspect into a detachable autonomous obligation. Finally, the author of the article expresses his regrets that the Court and the applicants missed the chance to develop the “right to the truth”, using, inter alia, the potential of Art. 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Keywords: European Court of Human Rights, European Convention on Human Rights, Katyn, war crime, NKVD, Janowiec

JEL Classification: K33, K39