Françoise,

Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...

Tulkens (born 12 September 1942) is a Belgian lawyer and expert in criminal and penal law, and former vice-president of the

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

. She served as a member of the Court since 1998, Section President since 2007, and vice-president from February 2011 until her term ended in 2012.

Early life

Tulkens was born in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, the capital of

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. She studied law, earning a doctorate in 1965 and practising at the Bar until 1968, when she was appointed Research Fellow with the Belgian

National Fund for Scientific Research The National Fund for Scientific Research (NFSR) (Dutch: ''Nationaal Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek'' (NFWO), French: ''Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique'' (FNRS)) was once a government institution in Belgium for supporting scienti ...

(''Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique''). She was awarded the ''

agrégation In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...

'' (higher education teaching qualification) in 1976 and the same year took up a post as Professor of Law in the

Université catholique de Louvain UCLouvain (or Université catholique de Louvain , French for Catholic University of Louvain, officially in English the University of Louvain) is Belgium's largest French-speaking university and one of the oldest in Europe (originally establishe ...

(French-speaking Catholic University of Louvain at Louvain-la-Neuve), where she remained until her appointment as a permanent judge at the

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

Career

Alongside her post at the Université catholique de Louvain, Tulkens served as Chairwoman of the Scientific Committee of the European Law-making Research Group (''Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris'') from 1993 to 1998 and

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the journal, ''Revue internationale de droit pénal'', from 1994 to 1998. From 1996 to 1997, she was an ''Expert'' for the

European Committee for the Prevention of Torture European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other We ...

. She has also been a visiting professor at the Universities of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne) and

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

. On 1 November 1998, Tulkens became a Judge of the

in respect of

. She was elected a Section President in 2007 and on 1 February 2011 became one of two vice-presidents of the Court, along with the British judge, Sir Nicolas Bratza, and under French President

Jean-Paul Costa Jean-Paul Costa (3 November 1941 – 27 April 2023) was a French jurist and was the President of the European Court of Human Rights from 19 January 2007 until his term at the Court ended on 3 November 2011. He was first appointed a judge of the ...

. She retired from the European Court in September 2012 and was appointed a member of the

Human Rights Advisory Panel Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

of the

United Nations Mission in Kosovo The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Привремена административна мисија Уједињених нација на Косову, Privremena administrativna misija Ujedinjenih na ...

. In 2019, Tulkens was appointed to the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, chaired by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury. In 2021, Tulkens was the president of th
Turkey Tribunal
held in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

along with 5 other reputable international jurists.

Other activities

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decis ...

(ECFR), Member *

King Baudouin Foundation The King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) (, KBS; ) is a foundation based in Brussels (Belgium). It seeks to change society for the better and invests in inspiring projects and individuals. The Foundation was set up in 1976, on the occasion of the 25th ...

, chair of the Board of Governors

Honours

*Commander of the Order of the Crown. *Conferred the noble title of

in the

Belgian nobility The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility. History ...

References

External links

Website of the European Court of Human Rights
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tulkens, Francoise 1942 births Living people Judges of the European Court of Human Rights Belgian baronesses Belgian women judges Academic staff of the Université catholique de Louvain Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) 20th-century Belgian judges Jurists from Brussels Belgian judges of international courts and tribunals 21st-century Belgian judges 20th-century women judges 21st-century women judges