Council of Europe rejects Cyprus’s human rights Court nominees

The Council of Europe's committee responsible for selecting judges for the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has recommended that Cyprus submit a new list of candidates after rejecting the current one.

The committee, which interviewed Cyprus’s three nominees on September 16, found that not all of them met the qualifications required to serve as judges under European human rights law. As a result, the committee has asked the Cypriot government to provide a fresh set of candidates.

The judges for the ECHR are elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which ensures that the process is fair and transparent. A special committee of legal experts first reviews the candidates and makes recommendations. In this case, the committee concluded that the Cypriot nominees were not fully qualified and recommended the list be rejected.

Cyprus submitted its candidates after the term of its current judge, George Sergides, ended. The candidates were chosen based on the advice of a special committee appointed by the Cypriot government. However, the country will now need to propose new candidates for consideration.

[With info from CNA]