Róbert Ragnar Spanó

Róbert was born in Reykjavík on 27 August 1972.[4] He graduated with a Candidatus Juris degree from the University of Iceland in 1997 and a Magister Juris degree with distinction in European and comparative law from the University of Oxford (University College) in 2000.

Róbert worked as a deputy district court judge 1997–1998, legal advisor and then special assistant to the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Iceland from 1998 to 2004. He was appointed Parliamentary Ombudsman in 2009 on a provisional basis and served full-time and ad hoc until 2013.[2][3]

Róbert chaired a committee which was tasked with drafting a legislative bill for a new traffic act in Iceland.[5]

In November 2006, Róbert was appointed a full professor of law. In September 2007 he was elected Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Iceland and was subsequently elected Dean of the Faculty, serving in that role from 2010 to 2013.[4]

His nine-year term as a Judge of the European Court of Human Rights began on 1 November 2013[6] and assumed as Vice President of the ECHR for the term 2019–2020.[1]

Róbert has written extensively in the fields of human rights law, constitutional law, the interpretation of statutes and criminal procedure.[7] Upon taking office in Strasbourg, Róbert has written extrajudicially on the evolution of the Convention system, the principle of subsidiarity and the rule of law. Furthermore, he is an acknowledged expert on the interplay between the Internet and human rights.

Criticism

Spanó at Erdogan's presidential palace

After Spanó visited Turkey in September 2020 and received a honorary doctorate from the Istanbul University as the President of the European Court of Human Rights,[8] he has received harsh criticism that the act would conflict with the court's stance and principles.[9][10]

Mehmet Altan, a journalist and an academic discharged from Istanbul University by a Statutory Decree and released after 2 years of imprisonment, addressed an open letter to ECtHR President by stating “Those who will give you an honorary doctorate are the very people who dismissed me and many other academics”.[11] Basak Demirtaş, the wife of imprisoned Selahattin Demirtaş against the orders of the ECHR, invited Spano to visit also Diyarbakır after he has already met with Justice and Development Party officials in Mardin.[12] To Mardin he travelled together with the Turkish judge of the ECtHR, Saadet Yüksel and posed for photographs together with the state appointed trustee who acts as a mayor instead of the elected but deposed Ahmet Türk of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).[13] Mardin is also hometown ECtHR judge Yüksel, who is the sister of Cüneyt Yüksel, a former member of the parliament from Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).[14] Spanó's visit to Mardin gives the impression that his host in Turkey was not the Turkish government, but the AKP.[15]

Róbert is married and has four children.[4][16] Róbert is an avid singer and has won awards for his musical performances on stage. Róbert was a promising amateur bowling player before he became a jurist. He won numerous competitions at home and internationally, both in individual and team tournaments.[17][18] He is currently on a 9 year leave from the all-male choir Fóstbræður.[19]

• List of judges of the European Court of Human Rights

• Interview with Róbert R. Spanó at the University of Bergen