Leading human rights lawyer visits St Andrews
One of Scotland’s most high-profile lawyers visited the University last week to talk about ‘Building a Just Scotland’.
Aamer Anwar – who is known for taking on some of the most challenging legal cases including that of murder victims Surjit Singh Chhokar and Emma Caldwell as well as defending former St Andrews lecturer and MEP Clara Ponsati – visited the school for an event organised by Fourth Year International Relations student Josh Traynor and sponsored by Scotland’s Future Series.
Mr Anwar was welcomed to the University by Ester Ruskuc, Vice-Principal (Strategy, Policy and Planning), ahead of the event which took place in School VI and was attended by students, staff and members of the public.
In his near hour-long speech, Aamer talked about his background and the experiences that led him to become a political activist, anti-racism campaigner, and human rights lawyer. He talked about the cases he has been involved in, the families he has helped fight for justice and the reasons why he believes that everyone deserves justice, whether they are the victim or the perpetrator of the crime.
He talked about the difficulties often facing families like those of Kirkcaldy man Sheku Bayoh, who would’ve struggled to take on the legal system without Aamer acting on their behalf pro bono.
He also spoke of his concerns about the rise of the far right across Europe and UK Government policies like the Rwanda bill, which he said was “barbaric” and created a culture of hostility towards those seeking refuge in the UK.
He urged students and others in the audience not to “look the other way” but to take on the challenges posed by those in power as it is the only way to affect change. He said: “Freedom and justice are never just handed to you, you need to fight for it.”
The event concluded with a Q&A when Aamer also talked about his role in the UK and Scottish Covid inquiries and the Post Office scandal, and advised students thinking about a career in Human Rights advocacy.