14 Supervision by International Tribunals

Human rights cannot remain confined to the written texts where they have been set out. In order to become a living reality, they must be translated into actual practice. State authorities bear the main responsibility for their observance and implementation. Administrative practices rarely attract the attention of the public except when they run counter to the axiomatic premises they should secure. By contrast, according to the European tradition, human rights unfold and become visible above all in judicial proceedings. However, this pre-eminence of the judiciary...