Turkish ECHR judge chosen as section president

ISTANBUL

Işıl Karakaş, who has been a judge at the ECHR since May 1, 2008, will serve a three-year term as section president beginning on Jan. 1, 2015. AFP Photo

A Turkish judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was elected as the president of one of the ECHR’s five sections on Dec. 1.

Işıl Karakaş, who has been a judge at the ECHR since May 1, 2008, will serve a three-year term as section president beginning on Jan. 1, 2015.

“Judge Işıl Karakaş (Turkey) has been elected as a Section President today. She has been elected for a three-year term and will take up her duties on 1 January 2015,” reads a part of the press release issued by the ECHR.

The ECHR is composed of one judge representing each of the 47 states that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights. Judges work in five sections, of which the chambers of seven judges are constituted. The court also has a Grand Chamber of 17 judges. The court has two vice-presidents, both of whom also preside over sections, and the other three sections each have a president.

Born on 1958, Karakaş earned her PhD in public law from Istanbul University in 1992, and served as a professor of International Law at Galatasaray University between 2003 and 2008. Karakaş has been a section vice-president at the ECHR since Nov. 1, 2013.