Biljana Braithwaite, Western Balkans Programme Director, The AIRE Centre

Biljana is a legal expert with over two decades of experience in the Western Balkans and beyond, specialising in areas such as gender equality, legislative reform, human rights, combating corruption and organised crime, sustainability, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.

Biljana is the director of the AIRE Centre’s Western Balkans Rule of Law Programme. She has delivered more than fifty extensive rule of law projects over 25 years, providing technical assistance through capacity building and legislative reform, as well as good governance, gender equality, and anti-corruption initiatives. She has worked with a range of national institutions, international funders, and private sector sponsors.

Biljana is also the CEO and the Founding Partner of Sustineri Partners, an advisory firm dedicated to helping companies deliver positive outcomes for society. Notably, Sustineri Partners is the founder and organizer of the ESG Adria Summit, an annual event dedicated to sustainable development and dialogue on the greater responsibility of the business sector in relation to ESG standards in the Adria region. She is also the Chair of Women on Boards Adria, a regional nonprofit initiative founded with the purpose to increase gender diversity in executive and non-executive leadership.

Goran Miletić, Director for Europe and MENA, Civil Rights Defenders

Goran Miletić is the Director for Europe and MENA at Civil Rights Defenders. Since 2004, he has led the organisation’s efforts in the Western Balkans, cooperating and providing capacity for human rights organisations, and later expanding the department to cover other countries and regions. During these years, he has been particularly engaged in drafting and lobbying for the adoption of inclusive anti-discrimination legislation in the Western Balkans and is a member of the European Commission of Sexual Orientation Law (ECSOL), Standing Committee of the Conference of the International NGOs and Expert Council of NGO Law within the Council of Europe. Since its establishment, he is member of the Board of Heartefact Foundation.

Valerija Galić, President of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Valerija Galić graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Sarajevo. She was a member of a number of working commissions tasked with drafting systemic laws in various fields. As a representative of BiH from FBiH and a member of the Commission for Harmonisation of the Legal System with the European Legislation, she participated in international programs held in USA and France (Strasbourg). She is a co-author and reviewer of several professional publications. As a lecturer, she participated in national and international conferences on constitutional judiciary and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In 2022, after holding various positions in the legal field, she was appointed to the office of Judge of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She took the office following the constituting session of the new composition of judges of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Between 2006 and 2012, she served as the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of BiH for two terms. She served as the President of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2012 to 2015. She took the office of the President for the second term in August 2022.

Julian Reilly, British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Julian Reilly was most recently the UK’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, and throughout his career has worked extensively in East Africa and the Middle East, focusing on the security, stability and prosperity agendas. In 2013-14 he was Deputy Head of Mission and Director of UK Trade and Investment at the British Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Julian previously worked on Western Balkans issues when Deputy Head of Western Balkans and EU Enlargement Department, 2010 – 2013. Prior to that he spent four years as the Head of Chancery in Moscow. 

He joined the FCO from Edinburgh University, where he studied literature and the history of art. He is married and with his wife continues to follow music and the arts, and to enjoy the mountains and the sea.

Helena Lagerlöf, Swedish Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Helena Lagerlöf holds a Master of Law from Uppsala University, specialising in International Law and Human Rights, as well as Peace and Conflict research and Development Studies. In her early career, she worked as a Bilateral Expert and Programme Officer at the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights in Costa Rica, and held positions at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) as a Democratic Governance Programme Officer and Advisor, and later as a Policy Specialist on Human Rights and Democracy.

Her prior roles also encompass employment at the European Commission (2006-2010), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs – EU Department (2012-2017), and at the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU as a Minister Counsellor and Head of Section in the Foreign and Security Policy Department (2017-2023).

Marko Bošnjak, Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights

Judge Marko Bošnjak is the Judge elected in respect of Slovenia at the European Court of Human Rights. Appointed in 2016, he has served as President of the First Section since January 2022 and as the Vice-President of the Court since November 2022.

Prior to joining the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Bošnjak worked as an Associate Professor of criminal law at the European Faculty in Nova Gorica, Slovenia (2012-2016), as an Attorney specialised in criminal law (2009-2016), as an Expert Member of the Council for Criminal Law at the Ministry of Justice in Slovenia (2008-2011), as a Lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, (2006-2012), as an Assistant Professor for criminal law and criminology at the University of Ljubljana (2005-2015) and as an Independent advisor (2002-2006) and Superior advisor (2006-2008) at the Constitutional Court of Slovenia. He graduated in law in 1996 and holds a Masters’ degree (1999) and Ph.D (2002) in law.

Arnfinn Bårdsen, Section President of the European Court of Human Rights

Arnfinn Bårdsen was born in Stavanger, Norway, in 1966, he graduated as cand jur from the University of Bergen in 1992 where he also obtained the dr juris degree in 1999 in International Human Rights Law.

He worked as an associate professor at the University of Bergen from 1992 to 2003, while acting as deputy judge in Jæren District Court in 1994-1995.

From 2003 to 2008 he served as a judge/head of department and acting chief president at Gulating Court of Appeal. He became Justice of the Norwegian Supreme court in 2008. He has been a member of several law commissions. 

He was elected judge at the European Court of Human Rights 1 January 2019 and President of Section from 1 November 2022.

Jovan Ilievski, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights

Judge Jovan Ilievski was elected judge in respect of North Macedonia at the European Court of Human Rights in February 2017. From 2004 to 2017, he was Representative of the Public Prosecutors Office in the South East European Prosecutors Advisory Group (SEEPAG) from its founding; as of 1 January 2012, a chairman of this body. From 2006 to 2017, he was Member of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) within the Council of Europe. In 2013, he obtained his Ph.D in criminal law from the University of Skopje. Previously, he spent much of his career with the Public Prosecution Office in Skopje, serving as the head of the Basic Public Prosecution Office for prosecuting organised crime and corruption from 2012 to 2017. From 2013 to 2017, he was Professor at the State University of Štip. In 2015, he served as President of the Commission for harmonization of penal policy.

Darian Pavli, Judge at the European Court of Human Right

Judge Darian Pavli has served as judge of the European Court of Human Rights, elected in respect of Albania, since January 2019. Before joining the Court, Judge Pavli had an extensive human rights law practice, which included litigation before leading international and regional human rights mechanisms. His practice maintained a strong focus on freedom of expression and association, and national security-related restrictions of rights, among others. He has also contributed to various standard-setting efforts in Europe, the Americas and other regions. In recent years, Judge Pavli advised the Parliament of Albania on matters related to major justice reforms, as well as defamation and freedom of information law reforms. Judge Pavli holds advanced law degrees from Central European University and New York University Law School.

Erik Wennerström, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights

Judge Erik Wennerström was born in Sweden in 1962. He is a Doctor of Laws in International law, EU law and legal jurisprudence. He has been Director for International Relations and EU affairs at the Ministry of Justice, and Head of International Law Enforcement Affairs at the Ministry of Justice and Interior (2007-2011) and Principal Legal Adviser on International Law at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (2007-2012). From 2012 he has served as Director General at the National Council for Crime Prevention. Erik Wennerström has also served as board member in numerous international organisations. He was elected judge at the European Court of Human Rights in April 2019.

Ivana Jelić, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights

Judge Ivana Jelić was elected judge in respect of Montenegro at the European Court of Human Rights in July 2018. She is a member of Legal Sciences Committee of Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, as of 2015, as well as the member of the Senate of the Montenegrin Association of Lawyers, as of 2018. Before joining the Court, she served as a Vice President and a member of the UN Human Rights Committee (2015-2018) and she was employed as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Montenegro. She studied law at the University of Montenegro, University of Belgrade, Berkeley Law School of the UC Berkeley and Columbia Law School in New York, as a JFDP fellow. She holds LL.M (2004) and PhD (2007) degrees in law, Belgrade Law School, University of Belgrade, Serbia.

Davor Derenčinović, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights

Judge Davor Derenčinović has served as judge of the European Court of Human Rights, elected in respect of Croatia, since January 2022, having previously served as ad hoc judge between 2010 and 2021. He has also served on Council of Europe bodies, namely as a member of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) between 2009 and 2021, of which he was President from 2019, and as a member of the Bureau of Committee of Experts on Terrorism between 2003 and 2004. Judge Derenčinović joined the Court following extensive experience in academia, notably as Head of the Criminal Law Department at the University of Zagreb, and as Foreign Director at the Research Centre for European Criminal Law at the Institute of Law of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences in Shanghai. His experience in international dispute resolution includes a position at the World Bank between 2014 and 2017. He completed his university education and PhD at the University of Zagreb, completing post-doctoral research as a Fulbright research fellow at the International Human Rights law Institute at DePaul University College of law, Chicago.

Faris Vehabović, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights

Judge Faris Vehabovic was elected judge in respect of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the European Court of Human Rights in 2012. From 1996 to 2000 he worked as a legal advisor in the office of the Bosnian ombudsman for human rights issues. From 2001 to 2007 he worked as the Registrar of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005 he obtained the title Master of European Studies as part of an interdisciplinary course at the Universities of Sarajevo and Bologna. From 2007 to 2012 Vehabović was a judge at the Constitutional Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 2008 also its vice-president.  He studied law at the University of Sarajevo from 1987, where he graduated in 1993.

Ledi Bianku, former Judge at the European Court of Human Rights and Judge at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ledi Bianku is an associate Professor at the University of Strasbourg and an International Judge at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Hercegovina. He is also Associate Attorney with Doughty Street Chambers in London and Member of the Ethics Commission of the Prince Albert II Foundation. From 2008-2019 he was Judge at the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Albania. He served previously as Member of the Venice Commission for the Democracy through Law from 2006-2008. He also chaired the National Audio-visual Authority from 2006-2007. He taught Public International Law, EU law and Human Rights law at the Tirana Law Faculty and the Albanian School of Magistrates from 1993-2007. He also served as legal advisor for various national and international bodies.

Mr. Bianku is a graduate from Tirana University and College of Europe in Bruges.

Tim Eicke, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights

Judge Tim Eicke was elected judge in respect of the United Kingdom of the European Court of Human Rights in September 2016. He became a Barrister in London in 1993, a Q.C. (now K.C) in 2011 and a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 2014. He formerly served as Junior Counsel to the Crown as well as on the panel of counsel for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Tim Eicke was also long-time editor of the European Human Rights Reports. He studied law at the University of Passau, Germany and the University of Dundee, United Kingdom, where he graduated with an LL.B. (Hons) in English law.

John Stauffer, Legal Director and Deputy Executive Director, Civil Rights Defenders

John is a human rights lawyer with a Master of Laws from Stockholm University. He has previously worked for the Ombudsman Against Ethnic Discrimination and the Equality Ombudsman where he was responsible for investigating cases of discrimination. John also spent time in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the conflict working with human rights. During his four years working with the OSCE mission, John initially focused on creating conditions for the return of displaced persons. Later on, as the Director of the Human Rights Department, he was responsible for the organisation’s work on issues such as war crimes, rule of law, minority rights, economic, and social rights. He joined Civil Rights Defenders in March 2013.