European Court of Human Rights

23.04.2018

ECHR finds fresh application from family of Alfie Evans inadmissible

The European Court of Human Rights has today rejected an application from the family of Alfie Evans in the case of Evans v. the United Kingdom (application no. 18770/18).

The case concerned the family’s argument that the prevention of Alfie’s transfer from Alder Hey Hospital constituted deprivation of liberty and a violation of Article 5 (right to liberty and security) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In its decision the Court found that the application was inadmissible. The Court also refused the applicants’ request for an interim measure under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court for a stay on the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment.

The decision is final. The parties to the case have been notified of the Court’s decision.

Alfie Evans, born on 9 May 2016, has been on ventilation in hospital after becoming seriously ill with a catastrophic and untreatable, progressive, neurodegenerative condition.

Both the request for an interim measure and the substantive application were received by the Court on 20 April 2018.

The Court in March rejected a first application from the family under Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) and Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life).

This document is produced by the Registry. It does not bind the Court. Decisions, judgments and further information about the Court can be found on www.echr.coe.int.

Press contacts

echrpress@echr.coe.int | tel: +33 3 90 21 42 08

Patrick Lannin (tel: + 33 3 90 21 44 18)

Tracey Turner-Tretz (tel: + 33 3 88 41 35 30)

Denis Lambert (tel: + 33 3 90 21 41 09)

Inci Ertekin (tel: + 33 3 90 21 55 30)

Somi Nikol (tel: + 33 3 90 21 64 25)

The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights.