Independence of the European Court of Human Rights and the status of its judges

The independence of international courts should be seen as one of the essential conditions for ensuring the impartiality of judges as well as fair settlement of international disputes. This article aims at indicating the relation between the status of judges of the European Court of Human Rights and the latter's independence. This includes an analysis of the criteria for office, the electoral procedure, the terms of office, as well as privileges and immunities of the ECHR judges. From a purely legal perspective the provisions ensuring impartiality and independence of judges seem solid and reasonable, however, it is judicial practice that needs to be taken into account to address the question of the Court's independence as such.