How to read legal citations in the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights cases are cited by the parties, an application number and a report. Convention rights are cited by article.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Style guide: The Court's own HUDOC database and OSCOLA for English-language writing. Cases are identified by their application number and decided under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Real citations, decoded
Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.
A Court case Case
()
- Case name Soering v United Kingdom
The applicant and the State sued. - Year 1989
The year of the judgment. - Volume 11
Volume 11. - Series EHRR
European Human Rights Reports, a private series that reports the Court's decisions. - First page 439
The page where the report begins.
The application number is App no 14038/88. Every case on HUDOC carries one.
Full citation: Soering v United Kingdom (1989) 11 EHRR 439A Convention article Treaty
- Treaty ECHR
European Convention on Human Rights. - Article art 3
Article 3, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.
Things to remember
- Judgments of the Grand Chamber are often marked [GC].
- HUDOC is the Court's free database, and shows the application number for each case.
Where to find the text, free
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.
