Human Rights in Eastern Europe

The transformation process in Central and Eastern Europe has been concerned with the twin issues of economic restructing, leading to the creation of market economies, and democratization. However, the problems engendered by the tortuous process of economic reform, as well as these stemming from the region's pervasive legacy of authoritarianism, have produced formidable obstacles to the establishment of genuine, pluralist democracies committed to the rule of law and the protection of human rights.This collection of essays by recognized experts from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and the United Kingdom represents one of the first attempts to address issues arising from the protection of human rights in Central and Eastern Europe. Key issues examined include the implications of the recrudescence of nationalism in the region, the role of the newly-established constitutional courts, historical traditions of democratic government and respect for human rights, the problem of asylum seekers and refugees, the special difficulties of human rights protection in the post-Soviet states, the recurrent problem over minorities and the role of certain regional mechanisms, particularly the European Convention on Human Rights and the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Human Rights in Eastern Europe will make a welcome and original contribution to the literature as it examines the various issues arising from the protection of human rights in Eastern Europe from the complementary perspectives of political science, constitutional law, the sociology of law and international law.