24/11/2023
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of its former longstanding member Mr Aivars Endziņš in respect of Latvia which occurred on 21 November 2023.
Mr Endziņš was a Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 1995 to 1996 and as the Head of the Latvian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE.
Mr Endziņš was the 1st President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia where he served from 1996 to 2007. He became the 1st member of the Venice Commission in respect of Latvia in 1995 and worked in the Commission till 2019, notably as one of its Vice Presidents.
He contributed as rapporteur to numerous opinions of the Commission concerning, inter alia, constitutional reforms, electoral issues and constitutional justice in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
As a specialist of electoral law, he was a member of the Council for Democratic Elections. He advised PACE electoral observation delegations on behalf of the Venice Commission. He represented the Commission at conferences, round tables and other events.
Author of more than 60 publications, mainly on issues of constitutional law and human rights, Mr Endziņš was a professor at the Police Academy of Latvia and Dean of Turība University Faculty of Law.
Mr Endziņš’s remarkable competences, outstanding modesty and gentle character will be dearly missed.
Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends, students, colleagues and loved ones.