CYIL Vol. 7, 2016

CYIL 7 ȍ2016Ȏ NONǧGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS UNDER THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION… Tymofeyeva Alla Non-governmental Organisations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Exceptional Legal Standing [Nevládní organizace podle Evropské úmluvy o ochraně lidských práv. Výjimečné právní postavení] rw&w Science & New Media Passau-Berlin-Prague, an international publishing project of Südost Service GmbH, Germany, Prague 2015, 340 pages “Non-governmental organisations under the European Convention on Human Rights, Exceptional legal standing” is a promising title not only for representatives of the aforesaid organisations but for anyone interested in protection of human rights in Europe. Tymofeyeva seems to have a predilection for the subject since several of her previous articles 1 have already dealt with the legal status and the rights of legal persons or non-governmental organisations (‘NGOs’) under the European Convention on Human Rights (‘Convention’). However, as she justifiably observes in her ‘Introductory remarks’, “there is not yet a detailed monograph that would cover the issue in question”. It is done now, and it is done well. Tymofeyeva’s book is an exhaustively researched and carefully written study on the different aspects of NGOs’ standing in the proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights (‘Court’). The author’s principal aim in this work is to establish the autonomous definition of the term ‘NGO’ under the Convention and to analyse the main roles of the NGOs before the Court as well as their rights and duties, in order to demonstrate that NGOs are subjects with an exceptional legal standing. The structure of the book properly fits its aim. The first chapter discusses the notion of an ‘NGO’ and provides a detailed examination of its definition in the doctrine of the international law and in different human rights instruments. Tymofeyeva seeks to demonstrate that the special definition of ‘NGO’ under the 1 Tymofeyeva, A.: The Highest Amounts of Just Satisfaction : Awards of the European Court of Human Rights to Legal persons ( Czech Yearbook of Public and Private International Law , Vol. 6, Prague: Czech Society of International Law, 2015), pp. 23-37. Tymofeyeva, A.: Some guarantees regarding criminal proceedings applicable to non-governmental organizations: Protocol no. 7 to the European convention on human rights ( Czech Yearbook of Public and Private International Law , Vol. 4, Prague: Czech International Law Society, 2013), pp. 153-171. Tymofeyeva, A.: The legal status of non-governmental organisations under the European Convention on Human Rights and consequences in international law in: Nové trendy odpovědnosti řešení sporů v mezinárodním právu (vliv nestátních aktérů) : SMP No. 4, Praha, Univerzita Karlova, Právnická fakulta, 2012), pp. 100-115. Tylofeyeva, A.: Do legal persons have the right to respect for private and family life ( Czech Yearbook of Public and Private International Law , Vol. 5, Prague: Czech Society of International Law, 2014), pp. 291-307.

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