ANU College of Law’s Associate Professor Ryan Goss, a distinguished expert in human rights law, is making his mark with his groundbreaking research, catching the attention of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Providing expert analysis and arguments in human rights law to judges, lawyers and academics around the world, Associate Professor Goss aims to improve the quality of legal reasoning and provide better results on the ground for judges, lawyers and citizens.

“My goal is to shape the international debate about this important area of law, in one of the world's most influential human rights jurisdictions,” says Associate Professor Goss. 

“Often my analysis and arguments are relied on by dissenting or concurring judges, who seek to challenge the status quo position adopted by a majority of the Court. In this way, I'm able to help shape the conversation about the future direction of this significant area of law.”

Various pieces of Associate Professor Goss’s research have been cited by judges in the European Court of Human Rights, including Snijders v The Netherlands (Feb 2024), Yüksel Yalçinkaya v Türkiye (Sept 2023), Xenofontos v Cyprus (Oct 2022), Angerjarv and Greinoman v Estonia (Oct 2022), and Ibrahim v UK (Sept 2016). 

“I'm pleased that my projects in this area are getting the attention of European Court of Human Rights judges, and being cited by them in judgments.”

Associate Professor Goss is interested in the European Court of Human Rights' case law on fair trial rights in everyday criminal cases. It's a vast case law, reflecting the size of the ECtHR's jurisdiction – and the significance of fair trial rights to any democratic society.  

“This case law concerns questions like: Did an accused person have a genuine opportunity to challenge the evidence against them effectively? Were they denied access to a lawyer? To what extent can the fight against terrorism justify restrictions on fair trial rights?”

Several of Associate Professor Goss’s past and current research projects critique the Court's case law. Associate Professor Goss argues that the Court needs to be more coherent, consistent and predictable in its reasoning. Through work such as his 2023 article in the Human Rights Law Review he has shown that, in recent years, the Court has been making it easier for Governments to justify restrictions on basic rights.

Associate Professor Goss’s work in human rights law was first developed during his postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford, and has continued during his time working at Oxford and now at the ANU College of Law. 

“It's great to be able to continue to shape the conversation on European law from here in Canberra. As well as being really important in any democratic society, this area of law is full of intriguing interpretative puzzles.”

For more information on Associate Professor Ryan Goss, please view his profile.