Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights

The Grand Chamber may be convened either by referral or relinquishment. Referral is based on one of the parties appealing a ruling made by a chamber of the court, but the court only agrees to convene the Grand Chamber in exceptional cases. Relinquishment means that a chamber of the court decides not to hear the case itself but instead leaves the Grand Chamber to hear the case. Until 1 August 2021, when Protocol 15 to the European Convention on Human Rights came into effect, parties to the case had the right to object to relinquishment.