Irish professor Michael O’Flaherty elected to European human rights role

The Commissioner for Human Rights is elected for a six-year term at the Council of Europe (Alastair Grant/PA)

Irish professor Michael O’Flaherty has been elected as the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe.

The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent and impartial non-judicial institution established in 1999 by the Council of Europe to promote awareness of and respect for human rights across the council’s 46 member states.