The role of the ECtHR in the investigation and prevention of medical crimes: Impact on national practice
Keywords:
COVID-19 Pandemic, European Court of Human Rights, Medical Liability, Medical Negligence, Positive Obligations, Right to Life, Transparency of InvestigationsAbstract
This article examines the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in shaping standards for the investigation and prevention of medical crimes, as well as the impact of its decisions on the development of national medical liability mechanisms. The study covers the period from 2010 to 2024 and is based on an analysis of twenty-six key cases included in the official HUDOC database. Using systemic, comparative-legal, and content-analytical methods, the study combines legal and institutional analysis of judicial practice. The Court has established an integrated approach to state obligations, viewing the right to life as comprising both substantive and procedural guarantees. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of judicial doctrine. The article emphasizes that the ECtHR performs not only a judicial but also a normative function, shaping a humanistic model of medical liability and demonstrate that the ECtHR's practice contributes to strengthening the rule of law and fostering a pan-European culture of medical justice.
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