Dr Ed Bates

LLB LLM PhD PCAP Solicitor (non-practising)

I am an expert on human rights law with a particular focus on the law of the European Convention Human Right (ECHR). Since 2009 I have been the co-author of the leading textbook on the latter (‘Harris O'Boyle and Warbrick: Law of the European Convention on Human Rights’ Oxford University Press) through its second, third, fourth, and most recently, fifth editions (2023). The book has been translated into Turkish, Bulgarian and Russian editions. It has been cited in European Court of Human Rights' judgments more than any other.

I recently published a co-authored book concerning Russia's exit from the ECHR and Council of Europe (Ed Bates, Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou and Andrew Forde, 'Russia, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights (1996-2022): A Troubled Membership and Its Legacy', Bristol University Press (2025)).

I am currently working on a monograph entitled ‘The European Court of Human Rights’ transformative era (the 2010s): decline further evolution realistic future?’ contracted to Oxford University Press (publication due 2026/7).

My earlier monograph on the Evolution of the European Convention on Human Rights was shortlisted for the SLS Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship (2011) and was noted as 'an exercise in scholarship of the highest order and anyone who is interested in the Convention and the Court or human rights more generally should read it.' (2013) 50(2) Common Market Law Review 649.

I joined the Law School from the University of Southampton in 2014.

LLB LLM PhD PCAP Solicitor (non-practising)

I am an expert on human rights law with a particular focus on the law of the European Convention Human Right (ECHR). Since 2009 I have been the co-author of the leading textbook on the latter (‘Harris O'Boyle and Warbrick: Law of the European Convention on Human Rights’ Oxford University Press) through its second, third, fourth, and most recently, fifth editions (2023). The book has been translated into Turkish, Bulgarian and Russian editions. It has been cited in European Court of Human Rights' judgments more than any other.

I recently published a co-authored book concerning Russia's exit from the ECHR and Council of Europe (Ed Bates, Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou and Andrew Forde, 'Russia, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights (1996-2022): A Troubled Membership and Its Legacy', Bristol University Press (2025)).

I am currently working on a monograph entitled ‘The European Court of Human Rights’ transformative era (the 2010s): decline further evolution realistic future?’ contracted to Oxford University Press (publication due 2026/7).

My earlier monograph on the Evolution of the European Convention on Human Rights was shortlisted for the SLS Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship (2011) and was noted as 'an exercise in scholarship of the highest order and anyone who is interested in the Convention and the Court or human rights more generally should read it.' (2013) 50(2) Common Market Law Review 649.

I joined the Law School from the University of Southampton in 2014.

Ed Bates co-author of D J Harris, M OBoyle, E Bates, C Buckley, The Law of the European Convention on Human Rights, (Oxford University Press, fifth edition, 2022) (1000 pages approx).

Ed Bates, 'History [of Human Rights]' chapter 1 in D Moeckli, S Shah, and S Sivakumaran (eds), International Human Rights Law, (Oxford University Press, 2022, 4th ed.)

Ed Bates, 'Strasbourg's Integrationist Role, or the Need for Self-restraint?', 1 (2020) The European Convention on Human Rights Law Review, 1-9.
Ed Bates, 'Principled resistance to the European Court of Human Rights in the United Kingdom?', in M Breuer (ed.). Principled Resistance against ECtHR Judgments - a New Paradigm?, (Springer, 2019).
Ed Bates co-author of D J Harris, M OBoyle, E Bates, C Buckley, The Law of the European Convention on Human Rights, (Oxford University Press, fourth edition, 2018) (969 pages).
Ed Bates, 'Lessons From the Past? The Principle of Consensus in the legitimacy-building era of the European Court of Human Rights' in Kapotas, P and Tzevelekos, V (eds) Building Consensus on European Consensus (Cambridge University Press, 2018).
Ed Bates, 'Democratic override (or rejection) and the authority of the Strasbourg Court: the UK Parliament and prisoner voting', in M Saul, A Follesdal, & G Ulfstein. The International Human Rights Judiciary and National Parliaments: Europe and Beyond. (Cambridge University Press, 2017), 275-303.
Ed Bates, 'Activism and self-restraint: the margin of appreciation - its Strasbourg career; its 'coming of age', in Symposium in Honour of Judge Paul Mahoney 36 (2016) No. 7-12 Human Rights Law Journal, 261-282.
Ed Bates, 'The UK and Strasbourg: A Strained Relationship - The Long View', in K S Ziegler, E Wicks and L Hodson (eds), The UK and European Human Rights: A Strained Relationship?, (Hart, 2015), 39-70.
Ed Bates, 'Analysing the Prisoner Voting Saga and the British Challenge to Strasbourg', 14(3) (2014) Human Rights Law Review, 504-540.
Ed Bates co-author of D J Harris, M O'Boyle, E Bates, C Buckley, The Law of the European Convention on Human Rights, (Oxford University Press, third edition, 2014) (975 pages) [also co-author of 2009 editions/ 2014 edition translated into Turkish, Bulgarian and Russian].
Ed Bates, 'History [of Human Rights]' chapter 1 in D Moeckli, S Shah, and S Sivakumaran (eds), International Human Rights Law, (Oxford University Press, 2013, 2nd ed.) [also first edition, 2010].
Ed Bates, 'British sovereignty and the European Court of Human Rights', (128) (2012) Law Quarterly Review, 382-411.
Ed Bates, 'The birth of the European Convention on Human Rights', in, J Christoffersen and M Madsen (eds.) The European Court of Human Rights between Law and Politics (Oxford University Press, 2011, 17-42).
Ed Bates, The Evolution of the European Convention on Human Rights, (Oxford University Press, 2010) - 562 pages.
Ed Bates, 'Anti-terrorism control orders: liberty and security still in the balance', 29 (2009) Legal Studies 99-126.
Ed Bates, 'Avoiding Legal Obligations created by Human Rights treaties', 57 (2008) International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 1-38.

I welcome enquiries and applications from students thinking of pursuing a PhD in almost all areas of human rights law. The work of the European Court of Human Rights and the law of the ECHR is a special interest of mine as is the UK domestic landscape for protecting human rights.

I lecture and teach Constitutional and Administrative law (LW1120 and 2120).

I also lecture and teach on the module Human Rights in the 21st Century (LW3270).

I convene the LLM module on the Law of the European Convention on Human Rights (LW7240) and run all seminars on this.

Human rights law - The European Convention on Human Rights - the work of the European Court of Human Rights

LLB LLM PhD PCAP Solicitor (non-practising)