# 1.3 International law and conventions

The European Convention on Human Rights 1950 (ECHR) is an international agreement, setting out the human rights that the signatory states agreed to protect in the aftermath of the Second World War. As a signatory to the ECHR, the UK agreed to be bound by the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) (which was established in 1959). Since 1966, it has been possible for individuals to apply directly to the ECtHR if they believe their human rights under the ECHR have been violated. The Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) gave further effect to the ECHR by allowing cases involving breaches of human rights to be heard and decided by courts in the UK.

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