The Use of Boycott as a Tool to Protect Fundamental Norms of International Law: The Baldassi Decision

On June 11, 2020, the European Court of Human Rights issued its groundbreaking Baldassi and Others v. France decision, protecting the freedom of expression of eleven political activists who called for the boycott of Israel. The ECtHR upheld its case-law on Article 10 ECHR and qualified the boycott as a means to express protesting opinions which deserves protection as long as its practices do not exceed the boundary of incitement to discrimination. The ruling is the very first by an international human rights court on the boycott movement and is set to deliver a blow to Israel’s disregard of international law and human rights. One year after Baldassi, this article offers some reflections on the ruling legacy both with regard to the Palestine/Israel context and beyond that.