Anatoly Ivanovich Kovler (, born 26 August 1948) is a

Tajikistani The Demographics of Tajikistan is about the demography of the population of Tajikistan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the popul ...

-born Soviet and Russian jurist and legal scholar who has served as

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

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 ...

in respect of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. His term expired on 31 October 2012.

Early life and education

Kovler was born in Sari-Khassar,

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

, then part of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. In 1966, he began studying at the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations (MGIMO), the diplomatic school of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics () was founded on 6 July 1923. It had three names during its existence: People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs (1923–1946), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1946–1991) ...

, and graduated in 1971. He completed postgraduate studies at the Institute of the International Workers' Movement at the

Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It united the country's leading scientists and was subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (un ...

. In 1978, he defended his

Candidate of Sciences A Candidate of Sciences is a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD-equivalent academic research degree in all the post-Soviet countries with the exception of Ukraine, and until the 1990s it was also awarded in Central and Eastern European countries. It is ...

( Ph.D. equivalent) thesis titled "Bourgeois Parties of the Fifth Republic and the Working-Class Electorate in France, 1958–1978: Methods of Influence by French Bourgeois Parties on the Working-Class Electorate".

Career

From 1979, Kovler worked at the Comparative Law Center of the

Institute of State and Law The Institute of State and Law (ISL) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) (''Russian'': Институт государства и права Российской академии наук (ИГП РАН)) is the largest scientific legal c ...

of the

and later the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

, being promoted in 1985 to professor of law and awarded the title of doctor of law in 1991. Between 1988 and 1992, he taught at the Faculty of Sociology at the

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

and MGIMO, and from 1992 to 1995 at the Presidential Academy of Public Administration. In 1991, he defended his

Doctor of Sciences A Doctor of Sciences, abbreviated д-р наук or д. н.; ; ; ; is a higher doctoral degree in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and many Commonwealth of Independent States countries. One of the prerequisites of receiving a Doctor of Sciences ...

(

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

) thesis titled "Historical Forms of Democracy: Issues of Political and Legal Theory". From 1991 to 1993, he served as an expert for the Russian Constitutional Court, contributing to the drafting of the

1993 Constitution of Russia The Constitution of the Russian Federation () was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993 and enacted on 25 December 1993. The latest significant reform occurred in 2020, marked by extensive amendments that altered various sections ...

, as well as legislative projects on political parties and electoral law. In 1994, he was awarded the title of

Honoured Lawyer of Russia Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation () is an Honorary title in Russia assigned to highly skilled lawyers for personal services: *in the formation of constitutional state and improving the national Russian laws in order to create equal legal c ...

. In 1999, he was elected 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 of ...

to succeed

Vladimir Tumanov Vladimir Alexandrovich Tumanov (; 20 October 1926 – 9 June 2011) was a Soviet and Russian legal scholar who served as 2nd President of the Constitutional Court of Russia from 1995 to 1997. Biography Vladimir Alexandrovich Tumanov was born in ...

as the

of the

in respect of

. He was vice-president of its first section. His term at the court expired on 31 October 2012. After leaving the ECtHR in 2013, he became an advisor to the Constitutional Court of Russia, holding the rank of State Counselor of Justice, 1st Class, and joined the Judiciary Department at the

Higher School of Economics HSE University (), officially the National Research University Higher School of Economics () is a public research university founded in 1992 and headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Along with its main campus located in the capital, the university ...

, chairing the department until 2018. He teaches courses on International Justice, Issues in Judicial Application of Law, and Rule of Law and Uniformity in Judicial Practice, while supervising postgraduate research. From 2013 to 2018, Kovler taught

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

at the Faculty of Law at Moscow State University, delivering a specialized course on the European Court of Human Rights. Since 2016, he has worked at the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the

Government of Russia The Russian Government () or fully titled the Government of the Russian Federation () is the highest federal executive governmental body of the Russian Federation. It is accountable to the president of the Russian Federation and controlled by ...

as head of the Center for International Law and Comparative Legal Studies. In May 2016, Kovler was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

as the second (alternate) member of the

Venice Commission The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...

of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

on behalf of Russia (the primary member being Taliya Habrieva). Russia's membership in the Venice Commission was terminated in March 2022. In December 2018, he was appointed to the

Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights The Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights () is a consultative body to the President of the Russian Federation, tasked with assisting him in guaranteeing and protecting human rights and freedoms in Russia. Si ...

. In July 2023, he was elected by the

Federation Council The Federation Council, unofficially Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, with the lower house being the State Duma. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. Each of the 89 federal s ...

as a member of the Russia's High Qualification Board of Judges.

References

External links

Website of the European Court of Human Rights
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovler, Anatoly 1948 births Living people Judges of the European Court of Human Rights Russian legal scholars Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni Russian judges of international courts and tribunals Academic staff of the Higher School of Economics Academic staff of Moscow State University Academic staff of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Academic staff of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration Recipients of the Order of Friendship Scholars of comparative law Scholars of constitutional law Honoured Lawyers of the Russian Federation

Early life and education

Career

See also

References

External links