Credits: Constance de Pommereau

By Alina Piekuszewski and Paula Wagner

Introduction

In the recent HRH blog series, Behind the Scenes of the ECtHR’s practice, Dr. Marco Duranti was interviewed about the historical background and the foundation of the European Court of Human Rights. The interview touched upon the role of women in shaping the European Human Rights protection mechanism as we know it today, wherein he highlighted the role of Hélène de Suzannet, describing her as a “totally forgotten catalyst”. This blog post intends to build further on this by highlighting how the universality of human rights as it is known today was influenced by the progressive ideas of people like Hélène de Suzannet of France. The notion that human rights are to benefit society as a whole, including friends and enemies” is a cornerstone of today's understanding of people’s rights. According to Duranti, Hélène dedicated her life to the protection and support of the weak and vulnerable and in doing so laid the groundwork for a system of human rights protection that is nowadays indispensable.

Women in Europe

If one rummages through the records and participant lists of the historical events that led to the creation of the Council of Europe and eventually the establishment of the European Court of Human Rights, one finds many prominent names. Searching for a female name on these lists, however, yields very few results - the vast majority of participants were men. One of them: Winston Churchill. Time and time again, he is seen as the driving force behind the idea of drafting a European Convention on Human Rights and establishing a European Court of Human Rights (p. 107).

However - and as too often in the history of mankind – the role of women in this development process is minimised or even completely concealed. However, there are some impressive women who have contributed significantly to this success story. One of them was Hélène de Suzannet. Her life narrative is extraordinarily compelling, especially in the context of the tumultuous eras of the First and Second World War – and the fact that she is a woman.

Resistance

Born on 20 October 1901 in Paris, Hélène was married at 21 years old, had five children and became a widow at the young age of 37 when her husband Count Jean de Suzannet suffered a fatal car accident. Stepping out of the shadow of her late husband and looking for a new purpose in life, Helene dedicated herself to humanitarian and social work. After the horrors of the First World War, she quickly realized that a new conflict would arise and during the early years of the Second World War, decided to take action. She became a volunteer nurse and  gave first aid to the sick and wounded in the French Military and later even joined the Resistance. While nowadays, often wiped from the records, Hélène understood the role that women played in war. Being part of a military family, she was totally immersed into the war and suffered fear and losses during this period. Nevertheless, this did not stop her from committing herself to the cause of providing humanitarian aid and social work, through public protesting as well as secret action.

Throughout the Second World War, Hélène displayed remarkable dedication to harboring Jewish children at her family home and aiding Jews in Paris to evade the German occupation forces, all whilst collaborating with the Red Cross. While Suzannet was by far not the only one to secretly assist Jewish people during the war, it is not to be overlooked that her shadow work put herself and her family at great risk. Understanding the threat of being found out, Hélène tried to discreetly manage her resistance work, as well as her efforts for the aid and placement of Jewish children. Nevertheless, she was fully immersed in the underground network of the resistance and did not hesitate to harbor and hide people for weeks in her own home.

As her daughter later recalls, Hélène was cautious in every way and would remind her children to “be careful, the walls have ears”. While she was arrested in 1943 for her conduct – and later in 1945 released from detention due to health issues – , she received numerous medals for her efforts and her assistance to the Liberation Movement in France after the end of the Second World War. She was described as courageous and received appreciation and recognition for her dedication to her resistance work and her family at the same time.

Politics

Following the end of the war, Hélène began a new chapter in her life by embarking on a career in politics. After the historic elections in France in October 1945 – which marked the first time French women were able to vote and stand for national office – Hélène became part of the inaugural cohort of female deputies in French history. Despite losing her position the subsequent year, she resumed her involvement with the Red Cross, this time focusing on assisting German Prisoners of War.

Her progression from being an active resistance member to becoming involved in public and impactful work came naturally as well as intentionally for Hélène. As for many women after the war, suffragist and feminist movements paved the way to step out of the shadows and acknowledge bravery as well as the importance of women in and outside of war. In her early years in politics, Hélène became an Executive Committee member of the National Union of Women, supporting female candidates and fighting for equal treatment. Climbing through the ranks of local politics, Hélène was later elected municipal councilor and subsequently general councilor of her canton. She was further involved with the Free French Woman movement and focused on social reform aiming at supporting children, women, farmers and advocating for public education and rural housing. Hélène was later elected a deputy for the Constituent National Assembly and continued her career in French politics with a passion for social, humanitarian and feminist topics.

In May 1948, Hélène took part in the Congress of Europe in The Hague as one of  150 members of the French delegation. There, she was a delegate to the Congress's Cultural Commission - probably due to her involvement in the French Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. In addition to this task, she took part in discussions of the Political Commission. The latter was responsible for drafting a European Charter of Human Rights and establishing a European Court of Justice as an enforce mechanism for the Charter. However, she was not satisfied with the quality of the drafting. Critiquing the fact that there was only a possibility for States to make use of the Court and that this option was not provided for individuals. She stated in a speech on 8 March 1948:

“Mister President, Ladies and Gentlemen – we have only just emerged from the great battles fought for our moral values and our civilization, and our moral and democratic values are not yet completely victorious in many European countries (…). Even when Europe is formed, it is to be feared that violations of the Charter of Human Rights will still occur. This is why it is absolutely essential that there should be a practical, effective means of ensuring that the men and women of Europe have a real, concrete opportunity to defend their freedoms and their rights the day these freedoms and rights are violated.”

Her concern was met with both support and massive rejection:  the Austrian delegate Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi expressed that her suggestions were premature, as the focus was on discussing limitations on national sovereignty and the establishment of a European Assembly. (p. 286)

Nevertheless, she was able to bring the Congress to a successful conclusion and was most certainly satisfied with her contribution: the Cultural Commission, which she was instrumental in supporting, passed a series of resolutions in which they repeatedly emphasized the importance of developing a human rights charter, which should be rendered legally binding through a convention agreed upon among the member states of the European Union (p. 115 - 117).

Returning to Paris after the end of the congress, Hélène continued her work in politics until June 1949 when she ultimately lost her parliamentary seat. After this defeat, she did not run for parliamentary election again and she passed away in Paris on 21 December 1961.

The Legacy of Hélène de Suzannet

The aforementioned Dr. Marco Duranti is among the few historians to explore the life of Hélène. Referencing her in his book “The Conservative Human Rights Revolution: European Identity, Transnational Politics, and the Origins of the European Convention”, he described her as a “heroine of the Resistance” of the Second World War that was driven by “hate in the service of pride and avidity” (p. 286).

Despite more than 75 years having elapsed since Hélène´s heyday of commitment, and thankfully with advancements in the role of women and greater acknowledgment of their contributions, it remains crucial not to overlook the remarkable strides made by women who served as pioneering figures. Role models like her laid the groundwork for future generation whilst often facing significant barriers and resistance. Her courage and determination set important precedents and opened doors for other women. Honoring the contribution of Hélène de Suzannet is essential – especially to inspire current and future generations to continue striving for the role of women in international law and human rights.

Acknowledgements: We would particularly like to thank Constance de Pommereau, who provided us with information and pictures of Hélène de Suzannet, enabling us to capture the story of her remarkable grandmother for future generations.

Bios:

This piece was co-written by Alina Piekuszewski and Paula Wagner. Piekuszewski graduated with an LL.B. in International and European Law and is now pursuing an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law at the University of Groningen.

Wagner obtained an LL.B. in Business Law from the University of Applied Sciences Mainz and is now likewise pursuing an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law at the University of Groningen.