Bonavero Institute Annual Human Rights Lecture - 'The Democratic Virtues of Human Rights Law' - A Response to Lord Sumption's Reith Lectures

The Bonavero Institute of Human Rights is delighted to host Judge Róbert Spanó, Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights and Lord Sumption, a recently retired judge of the UK Supreme Court and 2019 BBC Reith Lecturer at the Old Hall, Lincoln's Inn to deliver the inaugural Bonavero Institute Annual Human Rights Lecture.  

This summer Lord Sumption delivered the Reith Lectures on ‘Law and the Decline of Politics’. In one of the lectures he presented a critique of the role of the European Court of Human Rights and its approach to the interpretation of human rights law. 

In the inaugural Bonavero Institute Annual Human Rights Lecture, Judge Róbert Spanó, the Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights, will deliver a lecture titled ‘The Democratic Virtues of Human Rights Law – A Response to Lord Sumption’s Reith Lectures’. Lord Sumption will respond to the lecture, following which the floor will be open for questions and comments.    

The conversation will be chaired by the Principal of Mansfield College and British human rights barrister, Helen Mountfield QC. The event will be followed by a drinks reception.

Tickets for this event are free and should be reserved in advance through Eventbrite here.

Judge Róbert Spanó is the Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, elected in respect of Iceland.  Prior to taking up office at the Court on 1 November 2013, Judge Spanó served as Parliamentary Ombucsman of Iceland (provisionally) and was Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Iceland.  He holds a MJur degree from the University of Oxford (University College, 2000) where he was a recipient  of the Clifford Chance Prize (proxime accessit) and the Civil Procedure Prize.

Lord Jonathan Sumption served as a Justice of the United Kingdom Supreme Court from January 2012 till December 2018 when he reached the mandatory retirement age.  Unusually, he was raised to the Supreme Court without having previously been a full-time judge.  Lord Sumption is currently a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.