The annulment of the parot doctrine by the European court of human rights. ECtHR judgement of 21 October 2013: Much ado over a legally awaited judgement

Abstract

Despite the political, media and social upheaval following the definitive annulment of the “Parot” doctrine by the ECtHR of 21 October of 2013, this decision was based on an impeccable legal argument and logically deducible from the posture maintained earlier by the ECtHR, in consolidated case-law, on the requirements for foreseeability and non-retroactivity of unfavourable criminal law as unrenounceable guarantees of the right to legality in criminal law contained in article 7 ECtHR, of the broad concept of “law”, of the flexible concept of “penalty” and of the important role that is attributed to legal interpretation.