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Can Yeğinsu

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Can Yeğinsu
Yeğinsu at the OSCE in 2023
Born (1980-11-12) 12 November 1980 (age 44)
Istanbul, Turkey
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • Turkey
Education
Occupation(s)Barrister, Academic, Lawyer.
Employer3 Verulam Buildings
OrganizationThe High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
Known forExpertise in commercial law, international law, international arbitration, human rights and civil liberties
TitleDeputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
PredecessorAmal Clooney

Vedat Can Yeğinsu (born 12 November 1980) is a barrister and arbitrator who practises in London and specialises in commercial law, international arbitration, human rights, and international law.[1] He is also a member of the faculty at Columbia Law School,[2] Georgetown University Law Center,[3] and Koç University Law School,[4] where he teaches courses and publishes on international law, human rights, and international dispute settlement.

Yeğinsu appears as an advocate in cases before the English Courts, as well before international courts and tribunals.[1] He has represented several high-profile clients, including the Wikimedia Foundation,[5] Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa,[6] the broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,[7] the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,[8] and the Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah.[9]

In 2022, Yeğinsu was appointed by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, taking over the role from Amal Clooney.[10][11] He is an executive council member of the American Society of International Law,[12] and a trustee of English PEN[13] and Reporters Without Borders.[14]

Early life and education

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Yeğinsu was born in Istanbul, Turkey.[15] His sister is The New York Times international correspondent, Ceylan Yeğinsu. He was educated at King's College School in Wimbledon where his classmates included the actors Khalid Abdalla, Ben Barnes, and Tom Basden.[16]

Yeğinsu then read English Language and Literature at University College, Oxford where he was a College Scholar and recipient of the Stephen Boyd Memorial Prize for the top first in finals.[11] In 2002 he graduated from Oxford with a double first class degree and was awarded the Jane Eliza Procter Fellowship to Princeton University, where he studied and taught the works of William Shakespeare, John Milton, and became acquainted with Turkish Novel Laureate Orhan Pamuk.[15][17]

After a period of writing and working as a management consultant, Yeğinsu retrained as a lawyer, graduating with the top first class Bachelor of Laws degree from City, University of London, before enrolling at Harvard Law School to study for a Master of Laws.[1] At Harvard Law School, Yeğinsu was an editor of the Harvard International Law Journal and in 2008 became the first student of Turkish origin to give the Harvard Law School commencement speech.[18][19][20][21]

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Yeğinsu was called to the Bar at Inner Temple in 2007, where he received a Princess Royal Scholarship. After a short period of working at the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations, he undertook pupillage and started legal practice in 2009 from 4 New Square Chambers in Lincoln's Inn, a commercial set of chambers headed by Sue Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill. In 2022, he moved his practice to 3 Verulam Buildings in Gray's Inn.[22][23]

Prof. Can Yeğinsu (left) with Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly, Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa, and Costa Rican foreign minister Arnoldo André Tinoco at the United Nations in New York in 2024.

Yeğinsu has appeared as counsel before all levels of the English Courts.[1] In 2010, he became the first barrister of Turkish origin to appear before the UK Supreme Court,[24][25][26] and has since appeared in that court[27][28] as well as in matters before the Court of Appeal (England and Wales),[29][30] the European Court of Human Rights,[5][7][8][31][32][33] the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,[34] the ECOWAS Court,[35][36][37] as well as before various United Nations bodies and international arbitral bodies.[9][38][39]

As a barrister, Yeğinsu has acted for multinational corporations, financial services companies and UN states, as well as media companies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals (including human rights defenders and journalists). High-profile clients include the Wikimedia Foundation,[5] Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa,[6] the broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,[7] the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,[8] and the Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah.[9] He is recognised and has won a number of awards for his work in international arbitration.[40][41][42]

As an academic, Yeğinsu teaches courses in international investment law and ICSID arbitration at Georgetown University Law Center,[3] as well as a course on human rights and international arbitration with European Court of Human Rights President Róbert Ragnar Spanó.[43] At Columbia Law School, he teaches international human rights law,[44] is a senior fellow of the law school's Human Rights Institute,[45] is a Fellow of the law school's International Claims and Reparations Project,[46] and serves as an expert at Columbia University's Global Freedom of Expression.[47][48] Yeğinsu is also a long-standing member of the law faculty at Koç University in Istanbul where he teaches public international law, and a fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at University of Cambridge.[49]

International law

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Yeğinsu has engaged in advsiory work for numerous national governments and international organisations on matters of international law.[1] He has addressed the Media Freedom Coalition of States,[50][51] the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,[52][53] UNESCO,[54] and participated as a speaker at sessions of the United Nations.[55][56]

In 2022, Yeğinsu was appointed by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, taking over the role from Amal Clooney.[10][11]

Published works

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Yeğinsu is an occasional contributor to the The New York Review of Books,[57] The Times Literary Supplement,[58] and Just Security,[59][60][61] as well as to Turkey's Radikal newspaper.[62] His academic works include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Barristers". 3 Verulam Buildings. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Law Faculty". Columbia Law School. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b "Law Faculty". Georgetown Law. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Faculty". Koc University Law School. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c Foundation, Wikimedia (23 May 2019). "Wikimedia Foundation petitions the European Court of Human Rights to lift the block of Wikipedia in Turkey". Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 20 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b "Film screening in London to mark the importance of protecting media freedom". Kingdom of the Netherlands. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b c "RFE/RL Files Its Case Against Russia At European Court of Human Rights". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b c "Can Yeginsu instructed by UN High Commissioner to intervene before the ECtHR Grand Chamber in Semenya v. Switzerland". 3 Verulam Buildings. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ a b c 19, ARTICLE (12 November 2024). "UN: Take action on case of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah". ARTICLE 19. Retrieved 1 January 2025. {{cite web}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b "Can Yeginsu and Catherine Amirfar announced to the leadership of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom". International Bar Association. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ a b c "High Level Panel appointment". University College, Oxford. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Governance". American Society of International Law. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Can Yeğinsu joins the English PEN Board of Trustees". English PEN. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Reporters Without Borders (RSF) UK". Reporters Without Borders. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ a b DAĞLAR, Ali (15 August 2010). "Bağımsızlığımın sembolü kafamdaki peruk". Hürriyet. Retrieved 30 December 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Old Kings Club" (PDF). Old Kings Club. May 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Yeğinsu, Can (Winter 2002). "Orhan Pamuk: An Interview". Arete (10).
  18. ^ Turk, CNN (10 June 2008). "Harvard'ın birincisi bir Türk". CNN Türk. Retrieved 2 January 2025. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ CANİKLİGİL, Razi (10 June 2008). "Harvard 1'incisi oldu, 8 bin kişi onu dinledi". Hürriyet. Retrieved 31 December 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Sacli, Siyah (26 August 2009). "Harvard Üniversitesi'ni birincilikle bitiren Vedat Yeğinsü". Milliyet.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "Harvard'ı birincilikle bitiren Türk". Timeturk. 7 June 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Mizner, Andrew (4 February 2022). "Yeginsu joins 3VB". Commercial Dispute Resolution Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Fisher, Toby (3 February 2022). "3VB recruits from 4 New Square". Global Arbitration Review. Retrieved 28 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "İngiltere Yüksek Mahkemesi'nin ilk Türk avukatı". Hürriyet. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ EKİNCİ, Ayşegül (8 June 2010). "Harvard birincisi Türk 'Lord Hâkimler'e karşı". Hürriyet. Retrieved 2 January 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ BORA, Birce (24 November 2013). "İngiltere'nin en iyi 10 avukatı arasına girdi". Hürriyet. Retrieved 2 January 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ jacobdean@5rb.com (2015-05-20). "Supreme Court lifts OPO injunction". 5RB Barristers. Retrieved 2025-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "Right of free speech overrides possibility of distress to others". www.thetimes.com. 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  29. ^ Harris, Miles (14 July 2011). "Hold Your Horses". New Law Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  30. ^ "Free speech groups intervene in David Miranda appeal". English PEN. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  31. ^ "Government Mass Surveillance to Go on Trial in Europe". Center for Democracy and Technology. 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  32. ^ "Defamation Liability Should Not Extend to Publishers for Hyperlinking - Media Defence Files Intervention to European Court". Media Defence. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  33. ^ "CDT Urges European Court of Human Rights To Outlaw or Limit Bulk Collection". Center for Democracy and Technology. 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  34. ^ Dirocie, Anderson (2021-06-15). "High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom submits amicus curiae brief to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 'El Universo' criminal defamation case". Global Freedom of Expression. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  35. ^ "UPDATE: ECOWAS Court delivers landmark decision in one of our strategic cases challenging the laws used to silence and intimidate journalists in the Gambia". Media Defence. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  36. ^ "ECOWAS Court upholds digital rights, rules 2017 internet shutdowns in Togo illegal". Access Now. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  37. ^ "Gambian Criminal Laws Challenged At Regional Court – The Fatu Network". 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  38. ^ "Case Details | ICSID". icsid.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  39. ^ Bailey, Petra (2023-11-20). "Urgent Communication to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention". 3VB. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  40. ^ "45 under 45 - Global Arbitration Review". globalarbitrationreview.com. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  41. ^ Bailey, Petra (2023-12-01). "3VB named Banking Set of the Year at Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023". 3VB. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  42. ^ Contreras, Christina (2023-10-04). "3VB collects 5 awards at The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023". 3VB. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  43. ^ "Curriculum Guide | Georgetown Law". curriculum.law.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  44. ^ "Can Yeginsu". www.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  45. ^ "People | Human Rights Institute". hri.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  46. ^ "International Claims and Reparations Project | INTERNATIONAL CLAIMS AND REPARATIONS Project". icrp.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  47. ^ "Can Yeginsu". Global Freedom of Expression. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  48. ^ "Experts". Global Freedom of Expression. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  49. ^ "Mr Can Yeginsu | Lauterpacht Centre for International Law". www.lcil.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  50. ^ "Can Yeginsu | MFC Tallinn". Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  51. ^ "MFC Tallinn". Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  52. ^ "Shaping the future: Three new OSCE RFoM tools to safeguard media freedom". www.osce.org. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  53. ^ "Media freedom and democracy are integral to security, says latest report from OSCE Media Freedom Representative". www.osce.org. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  54. ^ "World Press Freedom Day side event: Case studies of action from the Media Freedom Coalition - Media Freedom Coalition". Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  55. ^ Nations, United States Mission to the United (2024-05-03). "ICYMI: The Wall Street Journal – Press Freedom Is Under Attack in Much of World, U.N. Ambassador Says". United States Mission to the United Nations. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  56. ^ Contreras, Christina (2024-09-24). "Can Yeginsu to speak at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in its High-Level Week". 3VB. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  57. ^ Yeginsu, Can (22 September 2010). "Turkey Packs the Court". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 30 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  58. ^ "The Trials of Orhan Pamuk and Turkey". www.academia.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  59. ^ Williams, Can Yeginsu, John (2018-11-28). "Criminalizing Speech to Protect Religious Peace? The ECtHR Ruling in E.S. v. Austria". Just Security. Retrieved 2025-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  60. ^ Yeginsu, Can (2020-11-23). "How to Fight Truth Decay: Protect the Truth Tellers". Just Security. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  61. ^ Kennedy, Lord David Neuberger, Can Yeginsu, Catherine Amirfar, Baroness Helena (2023-05-03). "Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom as a Driver for All Human Rights". Just Security. Retrieved 2025-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  62. ^ Yeğinsu, Can (9 April 2013). "İngiltere AİHS'den çekilecekse biz de gözden geçirmeli miyiz?". Radikal. Retrieved 18 November 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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