At the European Court of Human Rights, a “René Cassin” room was inaugurated on 26 March 2026, in the presence of Mr Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human Rights, and Mr Laurent Fabius, former Prime Minister.

On this occasion, Emmanuel Decaux, President of the René Cassin Foundation, delivered a speech paying tribute to one of the founding figures of human rights, while highlighting the deep ties between René Cassin and Strasbourg. In particular, he recalled Cassin’s Alsatian roots, his early commitment to “peace through law”, his role alongside General de Gaulle, as well as his decisive contribution to the choice of Strasbourg as the seat of the Court, a symbol of European reconciliation.

The speech also underlined Cassin’s institutional legacy through the creation, in 1969, of the International Institute of Human Rights, and reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to the values enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. A special tribute was also paid to Jean-Paul Costa, who initiated the creation of the Foundation in 2015.

To read the full speech delivered by Mr Emmanuel Decaux during this ceremony, please find it alongside this article.