Giovanni Bonello Human Rights Lawyer and Judge

Mr. Bonello is an acclaimed human rights lawyer and judge, who has served across Europe in his crusade to defend democracy and human dignity. He was educated at Lyceum and the Royal University of Malta. Before becoming a judge for the European Court of Human Rights, Mr. Bonello was a private practice lawyer who defended over 170 human rights lawsuits, both locally and internationally. He became a member of the European Court of Human Rights in 1998 and was a member until 2010. Mr. Bonello is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for his tireless work defending human rights, including the Gold Medal of the Malta Society of Arts in 2003, the Companion of the National Order of Merit, the gold medal awarded by the Judiciary of the republic of Moldova and the Cavaliere of the Italian Republic. He is a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Mr. Bonello has published numerous books concerning Maltese history including Nostalgias of Malta, Valletta- Lost City; Memories of Places and Times, Vol. 1, and the acclaimed 12 Volumes of Histories of Malta. He is also the inspiration for a book of fiction titled

Alfred Calamatta and Alex Cuschieri

Awguri, Giovanni Bonello! published by Merlin Publishers and FPM, which was released in 2017. The book is motivated by Bonello’s research and writings on Maltese history; in the novel, 10 characters that Mr. Bonello unveiled from Malta’s past are fictionalized and hence brought to life again. While Mr. Bonello has stepped back from his post as judge, he contributes often knowledge and experience of human rights and law through articles to the Times of Malta, where he comments about the refugee crisis and the misinterpretation of law and legislation. Mr. Bonello has also lent his ideas to the young minds of Malta, with lectures at the University of Malta, specifically concerning the Grandmaster’s Palace. Mr. Bonello is attributed with his heavy contributions to the development of human rights laws in Malta and depicting the vastness of Maltese history through his many publications.