President of the European Court of Human Rights - Dean Spielmann

Eight hundred million Europeans’ fundamental rights and liberties are supposed to be safeguarded by the European Court of Human Rights. It is an institution steeped in European idealism and ambition, but does it work? Hardtalk speaks to the President of the Strasbourg based court Dean Spielmann. Critics condemn it as an undemocratic, unaccountable infringement on national sovereignty - do they have a case? (Photo: President of the European Court of Human Rights, judge Dean Spielmann. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)