Moors Murderer Myra Hindley has lodged an application with the European Court of Human Rights against her "whole life" prison term.
The move follows a decision by the court on Tuesday in favour of convicted murderer Dennis Stafford.
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Myra Hindley
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The ruling has opened the way for Hindley to argue successive British Home Secretaries were acting beyond their powers by ordering she spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Officials at the Strasbourg court confirmed the application had been lodged in September 2000 and had yet to be heard.
A spokesman said she appears to be relying on Articles 5 and 6 of the Human Rights Convention. Article 6 requires a "fair and public hearing" and Article 5 says tariff reviews must be conducted by a judicial body, such as the parole board.
Stafford's victory at the court relied on Article 5, with the judges ruling it should not be the Home Secretary's decision to keep him in jail.
Hindley was Ian Brady's accomplice in the brutal murders of five children int he 1960s, though the killings were carried out by Brady.
In 1985, 20 years after she was convicted, Lord Lane, then lord chief justice, recommended a 25-year tariff for her. She has now served 37 years in prison, although five years ago the parole board assessed her as low risk and recommended that she be moved to an open prison.
Hindley's application at the European Court has yet to be ruled admissible, indicating it will not be heard in the near future.
PA