Saadet Yüksel (7 December 1983,

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

) is a Turkish judge at the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...

Education

Yüksel entered the faculty of Law of the Istanbul University in September 2000, where she obtained a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 2004 and a Master of European Laws in 2006. Yüksel is a member of the Istanbul Bar Association and worked in Turkey from 2005 onwards as a lawyer, including on human rights issues. In 2011, Yüksel obtained an additional Master of Laws from the Harvard Law School. She then returned to Turkey where she obtained a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

at the Istanbul University in 2012.

Professional career

Following she worked as a lecturer at Istanbul University, where she became associate professor of constitutional law in 2016. In 2017 she took over a chair for constitutional law. During her career she has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard, the

Koç University Koç University ( tr, Koç Üniversitesi) is a non-profit private university in Istanbul, Turkey. It started education in temporary buildings in İstinye in 1993, and moved to its current Rumelifeneri campus near Sarıyer in 2000. Koç University ...

and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

. In April 2019, Yüksel was elected judge at the European Court of Human Rights by the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up ...

(PACE) after having been put forward as one of the three candidates by the Turkish Government, replacing

Ayşe Işıl Karakaş Ayşe Işıl Karakaş (born December 8, 1958) is a Turkish academic, professor of law, and former judge at the European Court of Human Rights in respect of the Republic of Turkey. Career In 1983, she graduated from the Department of Political Sc ...

. Her tenure as a judge of the ECtHR, which is expected to last until 2028 began in July 2019.

Controversies

She accompanied Róbert Ragnar Spanó on his trip to Turkey in September 2020. During his stay in Turkey, Spano received an honorary doctorate by the Istanbul University, which drew criticism by Turkish academics like

Mehmet Altan Mehmet Hasan Altan (born 11 January 1953) is a Turkish academic economist, journalist, and author of over 25 books. Describing himself as a "Marxist-liberal", he is the originator of the term "Second Republic", arguing that Turkey needs to reco ...

and politicians of the Peoples' Democratic Party. Following Yüksel’s appointment, human rights observers expressed concern over her impartiality given the close relations between Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the judge. Not only was her brother Cüneyt Yüksel a former AKP lawmaker and deputy chairman, but Yüksel herself was affiliated with conservative foundations supported by the Erdoğan government. She was also an assistant to and student of the late Prof. Dr.

Burhan Kuzu Burhan Kuzu (1 January 1955 – 1 November 2020) was a Turkish politician of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice and Development Party who served as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for Istanbul in the 22nd to 24t ...

, an advisor to President Erdoğan.

Personal life

Her brother is Cüneyt Yüksel, a former member of parliament of the Justice and Development Party and a professor at the Istanbul University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuksel, Saadet Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni Lawyers from Istanbul 1983 births Women legal scholars Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the European Court of Human Rights Living people