Judicial Council elects Ondrej Laciak ECHR ad hoc judge

The Judicial Council elected lawyer Ondrej Laciak to the post of an ad hoc judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg on Monday. If approved in the post by the government, Laciak could hold it for the second time. He has been serving in Strasbourg since 2016. In European structures, he has been engaged in the protection of human rights and basic freedoms of suspects, the accused and victims. "I find it absolutely natural that I would pass on my experience to my country in this way," he said when running for the post. An ad hoc judge is entitled to take part in court proceedings if an elected judge of a given member state is unable to sit in the Chamber, withdraws from a case, is exempted, or if no elected judge is available.