Tkhelidze v. Georgia: domestic abuse and the European Court of Human Rights

On 8 July 2021, in Tkhelidzev. Georgia, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) added to its growing body of jurisprudence on domestic abuse. This case is noteworthy as being the first decision of the ECtHR on this issue since the Grand Chamber issued its judgment in Kurt v. Austria, the only domestic abuse case to date which has been heard by the Grand Chamber. In its judgment, the Grand Chamber set out a number of general principles to be applied in such cases, and these principles were subsequently applied in Tkhelidze. The decision in Tkhelidze also highlighted that a procedural breach of article 2 can be established by a lack of an effective investigation into the failings of state authorities to respond sufficiently to domestic abuse.