Anna Psarouda-Benaki, the former President of the Hellenic Parliament, has passed away at the age of 92, surrounded by her family.
A trailblazer in Greek public life, she was the first woman to serve as President of the Parliament and the first female President of the Academy of Athens. She was also a Professor Emerita of Criminal Law at the University of Athens.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis shared his condolences via social media: “Alongside all Greeks, I bid farewell with sorrow and respect to Anna Psarouda-Benaki. A distinguished legal mind, she honored Athens as an MP and our country as a Minister in critical portfolios.”
Professional and academic career of Anna Psarouda-Benaki
Born in Athens to Admiral Evangelos Psaroudas, she was married to the historian of philosophy Linos G. Benakis. She graduated from the American College of Greece (Pierce) and earned her Law degree from the University of Athens in 1957. She completed her postgraduate studies and doctoral degree (1961) in Criminal Law at the University of Bonn.
For many years, she was a research fellow at the Max-Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg, Germany. Her academic career at the University of Athens spanned four decades (1962–2001), during which she rose from Assistant to Full Professor, mentoring a generation of legal scholars.
Political path
1981: Entered politics as an MP (State List) for the New Democracy party.
1981–2009: Represented the Athens A constituency for 28 consecutive years.
Ministerial Roles: Served as Deputy Minister of Education (1989), Minister of Culture (1990–92), and Minister of Justice (1992–93).
Speakership: Served as President of the Hellenic Parliament from 2004 to 2007.
As President of the Parliament, she represented Greece in drafting the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. She was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In 2010, she was elected as a regular member of the Academy of Athens.
