Zouhaier Chihaoui
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Zouhaier Chihaoui | |
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| Born | 14 January 1983 Ghent, Belgium |
| Citizenship | Belgian |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Employer | Brussels Bar |
| Known for | Human rights litigation; appearances before the European Court of Human Rights |
Zouhaier Chihaoui(born 14 January 1983, in Ghent) is a Belgian lawyer specializing in human rights law. He is registered with the Brussels Bar and has appeared before various international judicial bodies, including the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
Chihaoui was born in Nieuw-Gent to a Belgian mother and a Tunisian father. His work primarily concerns strategic litigation and the implementation of human rights judgments within the Council of Europe framework.[1][2]
Career
Chihaoui has been a member of the Brussels Bar since 2010. That same year, he co-founded the law firm Jus Cogens with Christophe Marchand. In 2014, he established Just Rights, a firm focusing on human rights litigation before international and regional courts.[3] In 2025, he founded Just Rights Europe, a branch dedicated to European procedures and cross-border legal cooperation.
His legal practice covers a broad range of human rights issues, with emphasis on cases before the ECtHR and UN human rights committees.[4]
Chihaoui has served as counsel in several cases before the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR, including M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece, which addressed the treatment of asylum seekers under the Dublin Regulation. The Court found violations of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) by both Belgium and Greece, a ruling that influenced subsequent European asylum policies.[5]
Notable cases
Chihaoui has represented clients in several cases that have attracted national and international media attention.
He acted as lawyer for Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian scholar and visiting professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), who was sentenced to death in Iran on charges of espionage. The defense raised concerns regarding due process and fair trial guarantees, and the case has been the subject of appeals and international advocacy.[6]
He also represented the defense in the Lhermitte case, concerning Geneviève Lhermitte, who was convicted of killing her five children in Nivelles in 2007. The case was later brought before the European Court of Human Rights, which examined issues relating to the right to a fair trial and humane treatment.[7]
Areas of specialization
Chihaoui’s work frequently engages with the following provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights:
- Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 – Protection of property
- Article 3 – Prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment
- Article 5 – Right to liberty and security
- Article 6 – Right to a fair trial
- Article 8 – Right to respect for private and family life
- Article 13 – Right to an effective remedy
He is also involved in the monitoring of the execution of ECtHR judgments before the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
References
- ↑ "Onze fundamentele vrijheden worden met de dag meer bedreigd". VUB (in Nederlands). 17 March 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Zouhaier Chihaoui – Advocaat.be". Advocaat.be (in français). Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Just Rights – Avocats". Just Rights (in français).
- ↑ "Mensenrechtenadvocaat Zouhaier Chihaoui: 'Theo …'". Knack (in Nederlands). 10 July 2018.
- ↑ "HUDOC - European Court of Human Rights". hudoc.echr.coe.int. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
- ↑ Baert, Denny (January 24, 2018). "Iranian VUB professor's lawyer confirms: Djalali's death penalty will be reviewed". VRT.
- ↑ "Grande Chambre – Affaire Lhermitte c. Belgique (requête no. 34238/09)". European Court of Human Rights.
External links
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