Judge Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos is the new judge at the helm of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), becoming the first Greek to hold that position.
He will succeed Italy’s Guido Raimondi on May 5, according to a press release.
Mr Sicilianos was born in Athens in 1960 and studied Law at the University of Athens before getting a masters in international law and a doctorate from the Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg.
He has been serving as an ECHR judge since May 2011 and became ECHR vice-president in May 2017.
Greece’s Justice Ministry released a press release congratulating Mr Sicilianos for his appointment. It said: “The selection of Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos to the highest office of this emblematic institution is the natural progression of the course of an academic who has devoted his scientific work and his life to the fight for human rights, is recognition of his excellent work in the ECHR and a great honour for Greece.”