Chapter 3 covers the period from 1962 to 1968, as it argues how in those years a subtle, but lasting shift took place in Dutch society and government with regards to the Convention.

First, the chapter sets out how the emergence of a new memory culture and the so-called ‘depillarization’ of society opened a window of opportunity emerged for a new kind of activism, which increasingly turned to the language of human rights. This new activism intersected with decolonization, and its impact on governmental policy. Moreover, as Suriname and the Antilles became part of the active protection of human rights, the Convention was turned from a document built to preserve conservative European ideals into a document based on the need to protect individual human rights claims.

Second, this chapter argues that the crucial catalyst in this development was the interstate complaint procedure of 1967 against Greece. Brought forth by the new kind of activism which had emerged in these years, the complaint not only forced the Dutch government to make a distinct choice as to what the Convention entailed, but also served as ‘boomerang’ to galvanize human rights activism as such.