European Court of Human Rights elects Ukrainian judge Mykola Hnatovskyi as Section President
The official document notes that alongside Hnatovskyi, the court elected Belgian judge Frédéric Krenc as Section President. Both will begin their work in these roles on November 1.
Mykola Hnatovskyi is an expert in Ukrainian international law who collaborated with the Council of Europe for many years. His work focused heavily on human rights protection:
Hnatovskyi stepped back from these advocacy efforts after assuming his post as an ECHR judge representing Ukraine.
The Assembly elected him as an ECHR judge from Ukraine in 2022. Since June of that year, Hnatovskyi has participated in adjudicating Ukraine's complaints against Russia, as well as cases filed against Ukraine.
Background
The Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine serves as an international legal mechanism designed to prosecute Russia's top political and military leadership specifically for the criminal decision to unleash and wage an aggressive war against Ukraine.
As Rubryka reported, on May 15, 2026, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a decision launching a key stage in establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Thirty-seven states approved an Enlarged Partial Agreement to set up a Steering Committee for the Special Tribunal.
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the decision formally establishes administrative and management foundations for the future mechanism while expanding international participation in its activities.
In July 2026, the Netherlands expressed readiness to host the tribunal investigating Russian aggression.
It should be noted that a proposal to establish a special tribunal was submitted to the European Parliament in early 2025. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, signed an agreement in Strasbourg in June 2025 to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
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6 of October 2026
