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Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Public’s Right to Information Regarding Sports Events

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New Media and Sport

Part of the book series: ASSER International Sports Law Series ((ASSER))

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Abstract

The European Court of Human Rights has considered the freedom of expression and the right to information, included in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as an important foundation for the development of a democratic society and each individual. The European Court for Human Rights applies a broad definition of the notion “information,” particularly everything that can play an important role in the development of a democratic society. In this chapter, it will be analysed whether live and full sports coverage could be protected under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and whether only highlights of sports events or also live and full access to these events could fall under the scope of this Article. It will also be examined whether States have a positive obligation to intervene in order to ensure public’s access to live and full sports coverage. The analysis of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights could be approached in different ways. It is important to realise that the objective of the analysis of Article 10 in this chapter is to underpin the assumption of this book and not to serve as a legal positivist analysis.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See e.g. ECHR, Handyside v. the United Kingdom, para 49 (hereafter Handyside case); ECHR, Perna v. Italy, 6 May 200, para 39 (hereafter: Perna case).

  2. 2.

    See e.g. ECHR, Goodwin v. the United Kingdom, para 39.

  3. 3.

    Council of Europe 1950.

  4. 4.

    European Union 2000 , Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. OJ (2000) C 364/1.

  5. 5.

    United Nations 1948 , Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  6. 6.

    United Nations 1966 , International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

  7. 7.

    This subsection is a revised and updated version of a part of the following article: Lefever et al. 2010, 396–407.

  8. 8.

    ECHR, Groppera Radio AG and others v. Switzerland, para 55 (hereafter: Groppera case).

  9. 9.

    See e.g.: Perna case, para 39; Handyside case, para 49.

  10. 10.

    See e.g.: ECHR, Garaudy v. France.

  11. 11.

    Fenwick and Phillipson 2006, 44; Cucereanu 2008, 19.

  12. 12.

    Closs and Nikoltchev 2005, 2.

  13. 13.

    Cucereanu 2008, 19.

  14. 14.

    See e.g. ECHR, Jresild v. Denmark, para 31 (hereafter Jresild case); Perna case, para 39.

  15. 15.

    ECHR, Autronic AG v. Switzerland, para 47 (hereafter: Autronic AG v. Switzerland case).

  16. 16.

    Ibid., para 47.

  17. 17.

    ECHR, Müller and Others v. Switzerland, para 27 (hereafter Müller case).

  18. 18.

    ECHR, Verlag GmbH and Klaus Beermann v. Germany, para 26 (hereafter: Verlag GmbH case).

  19. 19.

    Groppera case, para 54.

  20. 20.

    See e.g.: Voorhoof 1995, 45–54.

  21. 21.

    Groppera case, para 55.

  22. 22.

    Autronic AG v. Switzerland case, para 47.

  23. 23.

    Verlag GmbH case, para 26.

  24. 24.

    ECHR, Khurshid Mustafa and Tarzibach v. Sweden, para 44 (hereafter: Khurshid Mustafa case).

  25. 25.

    Herr 2011.

  26. 26.

    Harris et.al. 2009, 455–457.

  27. 27.

    Human Rights Committee 2011, para 18.

  28. 28.

    Luciana Castellina was the President of the Parliament’s Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media during the period 22.07.1994–15.01.1997.

  29. 29.

    Lewis and Taylor 2003, 325.

  30. 30.

    Scheuer and Strothmann 2004 , 5.

  31. 31.

    See e.g.: Saltzman 2000, 2; Gratton and Solberg 2007 , 208; Hutchins and Rowe 2009.

  32. 32.

    Barendt 2005, 25–26.

  33. 33.

    Weinstein 2009, 23–62.

  34. 34.

    See e.g.: Jresild case, para 31.

  35. 35.

    ECHR, Sunday Times v. the United Kingdom, para 66 (hereafter: Sunday Times case).

  36. 36.

    See e.g. ECHR, Timpul Info-Magazine and Anghel v. Moldova, para 31 (hereafter: Timpul Info-Magazine case).

  37. 37.

    ECHR, Colombia and others v. Turkey, 25 June 2002, Application no. 51279/99, para 64.

  38. 38.

    ECHR, Sener v. Turkey, para 46.

  39. 39.

    Guerra case, para 53.

  40. 40.

    Helberger 2005, 68; Voorhoof 1996, Voorhoof 2004, 912–918.

  41. 41.

    Human Rights Committee 2010, 4.

  42. 42.

    Dommering 2008 , 48.

  43. 43.

    ECHR, Leander v. Sweden, para 74.; Voorhoof and Cannie 2010, 416.

  44. 44.

    Guerra case, para 53.

  45. 45.

    Hins and Voorhoof 2007, 114.

  46. 46.

    Voorhoof and Cannie 2010, 416.

  47. 47.

    Hins and Voorhoof 2007, 114.

  48. 48.

    Council of Europe 2008, Convention on Access to Official Documents.

  49. 49.

    Preamble of the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents.

  50. 50.

    Article 2 of the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents.

  51. 51.

    Human Rights Committee 2010, 6.

  52. 52.

    Timpul Info-Magazine case, para 31.

  53. 53.

    Voorhoof and Cannie 2010, 416.

  54. 54.

    See e.g.: ECHR, Kenedi v. Hungary, 26 May 2009; Voorhoof and Cannie 2010, 416.

  55. 55.

    ECHR, Társaság a Szabadságjogokért v. Hungary, para 38.

  56. 56.

    Lefever et al. 2010, 403.

  57. 57.

    See e.g.: Voorhoof 1995, 51.

  58. 58.

    Macovei 2004, 24; Voorhoof 2004, 922.

  59. 59.

    ECHR, Wille v. Liechtenstein, para 46.

  60. 60.

    Nicol et al. 2009, 20.

  61. 61.

    See e.g.: Voorhoof 1995, 52; Macovei 2004, 20.

  62. 62.

    Groppera case, para 61.

  63. 63.

    Macovei 2004, 16.

  64. 64.

    ECHR, Informationsverein Lentia and others v. Austria, para 39 (hereafter: Lentia case).

  65. 65.

    Voorhoof 2009, 7.

  66. 66.

    See e.g.: Mowbray 2004; Akandji-Kombe 2007.

  67. 67.

    Akandji-Kombe 2007, 5–6.

  68. 68.

    ECHR, Özgür Gündem v. Turkey, para 43 (hereafter:. Ozgyr Gundem case).

  69. 69.

    ECHR, VGT Verein gegen Tierfabriken v. Switzerland, para 45 (hereafter: VGT Verein gegen Tierfabriken case).

  70. 70.

    Khurshid Mustafa case, para 44.

  71. 71.

    Ibid., para 50.

  72. 72.

    Ozgyr Gundem case, para 43.

  73. 73.

    Harris et al. 2009, 446.

  74. 74.

    Voorhoof 1995, 59.

  75. 75.

    See e.g.: Voorhoof 1995, 51; Akandji-Kombe 2007, 14.

  76. 76.

    Ozgyr Gundem case, para 43.

  77. 77.

    Khurshid Mustafa case, para 33.

  78. 78.

    VGT Verein gegen Tierfabriken case, para 46.

  79. 79.

    Ibid., para 45.

  80. 80.

    Harris et al. 2009, 446.

  81. 81.

    Helberger 2005, 69.

  82. 82.

    Thorgeir case, para 63.

  83. 83.

    Rozakis 2008, 2.

  84. 84.

    Sunday Times case, para 47; Voorhoof 1995, 57.

  85. 85.

    Sunday Times case, para 49.

  86. 86.

    Dommering 2008 , 43.

  87. 87.

    Groppera case, para 68.

  88. 88.

    See e.g.: Voorhoof 1995, 58.

  89. 89.

    Groppera case, para 69–70; Marauhn 2007, 117.

  90. 90.

    European Parliament and Council Directive of 10 March 2010 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive). OJ (2010) L 95/1.

  91. 91.

    VgT Verein Gegen Tierfabriken case, para 61–62.

  92. 92.

    ECHR, TV Vest AS & Rogaland Pensjonistparti v. Normay, para 29 (hereafter: TV Vest case).

  93. 93.

    ECHR, Sigma Radio Television Ltd. V. Cyprus, para 183 (hereafter: Sigma Radio Television case).

  94. 94.

    Sigma Radio Television case, para 196.

  95. 95.

    CJ, RTL Television GmbH v Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt für privaten Rundfunk Judgment (hereafter: RTL Television case).

  96. 96.

    RTL Television case, para 68.

  97. 97.

    Ibid., para 69.

  98. 98.

    Barendt 1992, 19.

  99. 99.

    See e.g.: Sunday Times case, para 59.

  100. 100.

    ECHR, Bladet Tromsø and Stensaas v. Norway, para 58 (hereafter: Bladet case); Sunday Times case, para 62.

  101. 101.

    See e.g.: Groppera case, para 72; Bladet case, para 58; para 39; Lentia case, para 35.

  102. 102.

    See e.g. ECHR, Buckley v. the United Kingdom, para 74; ECHR, Laskey, Jaggard and Brown v. the United Kingdom, para 42.

  103. 103.

    Voorhoof 1995, 62.

  104. 104.

    GC, FIFA v European Commission, para 135–136; GC, FIFA v European Commission, para 132–133; GC, UEFA v European Commission, para 173–174.

  105. 105.

    Craufurd Smith and Bottcher 2002 , 113; Parrish and Miettinen 2009 , 26.

  106. 106.

    Article 16 & 17 of the AVMS Directive.

  107. 107.

    Castendyk 2008, 443.

  108. 108.

    Sigma Radio Television case, para 14–19.

  109. 109.

    Ibid., para 200–201.

  110. 110.

    See e.g. Handyside case, para 49.; Jersild case, para 31; Perna case, para 39.

  111. 111.

    Council of Europe 2007, 9.

  112. 112.

    Voorhoof 1995, 60–61; Voorhoof 2009, 1–2, 43.

  113. 113.

    Craufurd Smith and Bottcher 2002, 112–114.

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  1. Faculty of Law, Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT, KU Leuven, Sint-Michielsstraat 6, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Katrien Lefever

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Lefever, K. (2012). Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Public’s Right to Information Regarding Sports Events. In: New Media and Sport. ASSER International Sports Law Series. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague, The Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-6704-873-6_4

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