The Concept of Militant Democracy in the Case Law of the European Court of Human Rights

This article examines the concept of militant democracy (démocratie militante, wehrhafte Demokratie) in the context of its application in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. Despite Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe and the cessation of the European Court of Human Rights’ jurisdiction in respect of the Russian Federation in 2022, the study of this concept remains relevant for Russian constitutional-law scholarship. It makes it possible to gain a deeper understanding of universal mechanisms for protecting the constitutional order, provides comparative material for the development of national legal doctrines, and offers insight into approaches that may prove valuable in improving Russian legal instruments for countering extremism and the abuse of rights. The doctrine of militant democracy, developed by the German scholar Karl Loewenstein in the 1930s, provides for legal mechanisms for the preventive protection of democratic regimes against anti-democratic political forces. The article analyzes the normative embodiment of this concept in Article 17 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which prohibits the abuse of rights, and identifies its principal instruments: a “hard” instrument, involving the complete denial of legal protection, and “soft” instruments, operating within the framework of proportionality review. The article offers a detailed analysis of cases concerning racist speech, Holocaust denial, or negationism, the justification of Nazi crimes, and the dissolution of political parties pursuing anti-democratic objectives. In addition to specific cases, the study draws on the works of European constitutional scholars and on Council of Europe documents relating to the travaux préparatoires of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The article concludes that the European Court of Human Rights has developed specific criteria for assessing the lawfulness of restrictive measures: the compatibility of the political regime being promoted with democratic principles; the legality of the means employed; the existence of a real and immediate threat; and the actual capacity to abolish democratic institutions. The conceptual framework and criteria developed by the European Court of Human Rights constitute a valuable resource that extends beyond jurisdictional boundaries and is capable of enriching the development of balanced approaches to protecting the foundations of statehood while respecting individual rights in any legal system.

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