How Do I Find Decisions of International Courts and Tribunals?

Below are some resources for finding the decisions of international courts and tribunals. They are organized alphabetically by court.
 

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
This body was established by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 1986. It is located in Banjul, The Gambia. Decisions can be accessed alphabetically by case name, alphabetically by country, or by article of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.  Access is through the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library

  • African Human Rights Case Law Analyser. This web site by the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa allows the Commission's decisions to be searched by number, complainant, country, and outcome.

European Court of Human Rights
This court is part of the Council of Europe. It was established in 1959 to rule on violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is located in Strasbourg, France. Access to decisions is through the European Court of Human Rights’ HUDOC Portal. This is a searchable database of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the European Commission of Human Rights, and the Committee of Ministers. Coverage is 1959 to the present.  Other sources for this court's decisions include:

European Court of Justice
This is the court of the European Union. It was established in 1952 and is located Luxembourg. The European Court of Justice's website has a searchable database of the court’s published decisions from June 1997 to the present and some unpublished decisions from May 2004 to the present.  Opinions from 1953 to the present are accessible by case number. Other sources for this court's decisions include:

Inter-American Court of Human Rights
This court is part of the Organization of American States. It was established in 1979 to apply and interpret the American Convention on Human Rights.  It is located in San Jose’, Costa Rica.  The Inter-American Court of Human Right's website includes decisions and advisory opinions and are searchable by keyword.  Other sources for this court's decisions include:
 International Court of Justice
This is one of the principal organs of the United Nations. It was established in 1946 and is located in The Hague, Netherlands. The International Court of Justice's site has all of the court’s decisions in contentious cases and all of their advisory opinions, as well as accompanying documents such as applications instituting proceedings and requests for advisory opinions. Cases are available chronologically and alphabetically by state party. For tips on finding ICJ decisions, see the CALI lesson Finding International Court of Justice Opinions.  Other sources for this court's decisions include:
International Criminal Court
The ICC was established in 1998 to hear cases of persons charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It is located in The Hague, Netherlands. Documents on the International Criminal Court's website include decisions of the court, decisions of the President of the ICC, arrest warrants, etc. Another source for this court's decisons is:
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
The ICTY was established by a U.N. Security Council resolution in 1993 to hear cases of war crimes occurring in the Balkans in the 1990s. It is located in The Hague, Netherlands. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia's website has indictments, judgments, and key decisions and orders, accessible by the accused’s name, case number, and date.  Other sources for this court's decisions include:
 International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The ICTR was established by a United Nations Security Council resolution in 1994 to hear cases of genocide occurring in Rwanda in 1994. The tribunal is located in the United Republic of Tanzania. Documents on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda's website include indictments, minutes of proceedings, and decisions. Other sources for this court's decisions include:
 International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
This tribunal was established in 1994 to hear disputes arising under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is located in Hamburg, Germany. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea's website has case records available which include written proceedings, verbatim records of oral proceedings, minutes of hearings, orders, and opinions.  Another source for this tribunal's decisons is:
Iran-United States Claims Tribunal
This is an arbitral body created in 1981 to settle claims between the governments and citizens of the United States and Iran. It is located in The Hague, Netherlands. The Iran-United States Claims Tribunal's website has a searchable database of the tribunal’s rulings. Although use of the site is free, you are required to register.  Other sources for this court's decisions include:
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The PCA was established in 1899 by the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes. It assists in the settlement of disputes between states, as well as commercial and investment disputes. It is located in The Hague, Netherlands.  The Permanent Court of Arbitration has made some awards and other documents from past and pending cases available on their website.  Other sources for this court's decisions include:
Permanent Court of International Justice
This is the predecessor of the International Court of Justice. It was part of the League of Nations and was in existence 1922-1946.  The Permanent Court of International Justice's website has decisions in contentious cases, their advisory opinions, written pleadings, records of public hearings, and more. Other sources for this court's decisions include:
Special Court for Sierra Leone
This court was established in 2002 by the United Nations and the government of Sierra Leone to hear cases of humanitarian law violations occurring in Sierra Leone since 1996. The tribunal is located in The Hague, Netherlands. The Special Court for Sierra Leone's website has its decisions and other related documents. Other sources for this court's decisions include:
  

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