The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland has designated dr hab. Adam Wisniewski, prof. UG as one of four ad hoc judges of the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Poland. Ad hoc judges of the ECHR are appointed by the President of the Court in cases where a national judge is unfit to sit in the Chamber, excludes himself or if there is no such judge.

‘My qualifications for election as a judge of the European Court of Human Rights were confirmed by the Council of Europe's Advisory Panel of Experts for the Selection of Candidates in July this year,’ says prof. Adam Wiśniewski ‘I treat the offer to serve as an ad hoc judge of the ECHR as an acknowledgement of my qualifications as a professor of public international law specialising in the protection of human rights and in particular in issues related to the European Convention on Human Rights.’

Prof. Adam Wiśniewski has headed the Chair of Public International Law at the Faculty of Law and Administration UG for nearly 15 years. His academic research focuses on international human rights protection and international courts, especially the European Court of Human Rights. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of human rights as a researcher, university professor, and legal advisor. From 2015 to 2023, he served as a member of the Advisory Board of Balex, an international institution founded by the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi in Finland. Since 2024, he has been a member of the Advisory Legal Committee to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to prof. Adam Wisniewski, the list of four ad hoc judges includes dr hab. Marcin Górski of the University of Łódź, prof. dr hab. Marek Piechowiak of SWPS, and dr hab. Alicja Sikora-Kalėda of Jagiellonian University. In the event of a judge from a particular country being unable to sit on the bench, the President of the European Court of Human Rights will appoint a judge from a list provided by the country in his or her place. Such situations may arise, for example, when a conflict of interest prevents a judge from ruling on a case brought before the Court. The need to appoint an ad hoc judge may also arise in the event of the illness of a ruling judge or his or her resignation.

We congratulate the Professor on his distinction by the Polish MFA.