From State Sovereignty to Human Rights – and Back? Revisiting the Prohibition of Collective Expulsion in the European Convention on Human Rights from a Historical Perspective Von der staatlichen Souveränität zu den Menschenrechten – und zurück? Völkerrechtliche Perspektiven auf Migration am Beispiel des Kollektivausweisungsverbots der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention
Farahat A, Kießling J (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
Journal
Book Volume: 85
Pages Range: 363-398
Journal Issue: 2
DOI: 10.17104/0044-2348-2025-2-363
Abstract
This article examines the tension between state sovereignty, human rights, and migration law, focusing on the prohibition of collective expulsion under Article 4 of Protocol 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Recent cases from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), including over 30 complaints against Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, highlight the importance of this provision in migration issues. These cases involve asylum seekers who have been pushed back at EU borders, often under life-threatening conditions. The article revisits Karl Doehring’s 1985 analysis of mass expulsions, which emphasised state sovereignty and largely overlooked the significance of human rights in these situations. Doehring’s classical international law perspective stands in contrast to modern universalist approaches. With the 100th anniversary of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law – where Doehring served as director – this is an opportune moment to reassess his arguments in the context of current migration debates. The analysis unfolds in three steps: First, we compare the international law perspective on mass expulsion with the human rights framework governing collective expulsion. Next, we place Doehring’s state-centric arguments in their historical context. Finally, we connect these insights to contemporary discussions regarding collective expulsion and exclusionary practices at Europe’s borders. The article underscores the ongoing conflict between state sovereignty and the universal principles of human rights within European migration law. It argues that human rights have gained significant traction in migration law over the last few decades – a development that began during Doehring’s time but has not been sufficiently acknowledged in his research.
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APA:
Farahat, A., & Kießling, J. (2025). From State Sovereignty to Human Rights – and Back? Revisiting the Prohibition of Collective Expulsion in the European Convention on Human Rights from a Historical Perspective Von der staatlichen Souveränität zu den Menschenrechten – und zurück? Völkerrechtliche Perspektiven auf Migration am Beispiel des Kollektivausweisungsverbots der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention. Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht, 85(2), 363-398. https://doi.org/10.17104/0044-2348-2025-2-363
MLA:
Farahat, Anuscheh, and Jonathan Kießling. "From State Sovereignty to Human Rights – and Back? Revisiting the Prohibition of Collective Expulsion in the European Convention on Human Rights from a Historical Perspective Von der staatlichen Souveränität zu den Menschenrechten – und zurück? Völkerrechtliche Perspektiven auf Migration am Beispiel des Kollektivausweisungsverbots der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention." Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht 85.2 (2025): 363-398.
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