OBITUARIES - June 18, 1988

Gerardus Wiarda; Dutch Jurist

Gerardus Wiarda, 81, a Dutch jurist who was president of the European Court for Human Rights. After practicing law in Rotterdam and serving as a judge at Amsterdam’s district court, Wiarda was appointed a member of the Dutch Supreme Court in 1950. During his 26-year tenure there, the last four of which he served as the court’s president, Wiarda earned a reputation as a progressive in social and judicial issues. After his retirement from the bench in 1976, he was appointed a judge at the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg. In 1981, he was named president of the 18-member human rights panel for the 21-nation Council of Europe. In The Hague, Netherlands, it was reported Monday.