Monitoring minority rights in grey zones : the example of Nagorno Karabakh

Roter, Petra (author)

This article analyses the problem of no or a very limited access of independent human rights bodies to areas that are not under effective control of governments of state parties to international treaties – i.e. in the so-called grey zones. The area known as Nagorno Karabakh had been a grey zone for more than 30 years until September 2023. This article discusses various political and legal questions that arise with regards to monitoring human rights (including minority rights) in grey zones. The article focuses on the work of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and takes into account the work of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in grey zones. The article seeks to offer possible conceptual and practical solutions for monitoring minority rights in grey zones and thus making them, if not fully monitored, at least less grey.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Advisory Committee, Council of Europe, Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, grey zones, minority rights, Nagorno Karabakh
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 244–272
• Numbering: Vol. 51, iss. 1/2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-189732
• UDC: 342.724
• ISSN on article: 0925-9880
• DOI: 10.1163/15730352-bja10137
• COBISS.SI-ID: 279481603
• Publication date in RUL: 14.10.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Review of central and east European law
• Shortened title: Rev. cent. east Eur. law
• Publisher: Brill
• ISSN: 0925-9880
• COBISS.SI-ID: 35389441

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0177
• Name: Slovenija in njeni akterji v mednarodnih odnosih in evropskih integracijah