LAST UPDATE | 19 Sep 2022

AN IRISH JUDGE has been elected as the new president of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

53-year-old Síofra O’Leary will be the first woman to hold the position.

She is set to take up office on 1 November, succeeding Robert Spano from Iceland. 

O’Leary holds a Bachelor of Civil Law from University College Dublin and a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. 

She has worked as a judge at the ECtHR since July 2015 and has been the vice-president of the Court since January of this year. 

The ECtHR is an international court set up in 1959 to rule on individual or state applications alleging violations of the civil and political rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Its judgments are binding on the 46 Council of Europe member states that have ratified the Convention.

Irish Judge Síofra O’Leary has been elected as President of the European Court of Human Rights 👏🏻

Judge O’Leary is the first female President of the Court and is due to serve from 1 November 2022 until 1 July 2024 ⚖️

Chomhghairdeachas Síofra! ☘️ https://t.co/cJHzz7Q09K pic.twitter.com/kvLUQGXJ45

— Ireland at the Council of Europe (@IrishRepCoE) September 19, 2022

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has this afternoon congratulated O’Leary on her election. 

“Judge O’Leary has served with great distinction since her appointment to the Court, and her election as president is a mark of the high regard in which she is held,” Coveney said. 

The Minister said it is “a source of pride that the first female President of the Court should be an Irish judge”. 

“The Court is central to the protection of human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Europe. Never have these ideals and principles been more important,” Coveney said. 

“In its capacity as President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Ireland is committed to supporting the work of the Court in ensuring its continued effectiveness and independence,” he said. 

Justice Minister Helen McEntee also congratulated O’Leary on her election, saying that the court was an “integral institution”.

“The European Court of Human Rights is an integral institution in enforcing our human rights and upholding our fundamental freedoms, established after World War II to ensure that never again could governments or institutions abuse people’s rights with impunity,” McEntee said.

“Never has the raison d’etre of the Court been more pertinent than the current situation we find ourselves in with the war in Ukraine.”

She added that judgements made by the court in Irish cases have “paved the way for many seismic reforms in Irish society” that have improved safeguards for human rights.

“Judge O’Leary’s appointment as President of the Court is a source of great pride for our country, and is testament to her recognised expertise and the distinction with which she has served in her current and former positions,” McEntee added.

Additional reporting by Tadgh McNally