Celebrating defenders’ achievements

Sir Henry

As a tribute to our beloved patron and President of the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk,  the late Sir Henry Brooke CMG, and to promote the crucial role of grassroots human rights defenders whose work may otherwise go unrecognised and unknown, PBI UK and the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk have been jointly hosting an annual Awards ceremony honouring exceptional activists and lawyers.

A barrister at Fountain Court Chambers who went on to serve as a High Court Judge, Sir Henry’s many achievements including chairing the Bar’s Race Relations Committee, which introduced racial awareness training for English magistrates and judges.

As a judge, Sir Henry spoke on human rights, penal reform, access to justice and equality issues around the world. Later in his life, we were honoured to know him as a cherished patron and co-founder of the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk.

Maricela and Carla

Maricela Vazquez and Carla Palacios are two lawyers from Mexico who reflect the values Sir Henry championed throughout his life.

Maricela and Carla work for the Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre, an organisation established to “promote and defend human rights with the involvement and engagement of people, particularly those who have been most affected.” Their work involves representing the families of victims of torture and forced disappearances.

They work in an environment characterised by executions, corrupt security forces, impunity and widespread and persistent violence against women - In 2019, the Mexican government recorded 1,006 incidents of femicide, a 10 percent increase from 2018.

The rule of law

The freedom to uphold the rule of law is one which every legal professional should have, but, unfortunately for the lawyers that PBI supports, this is not the case. At the Sir Henry Brooke Awards, PBI invited British lawyers to reflect on the privileges that are unfortunately not enjoyed by the lawyers we work with.

The evening featured a screening of the latest film produced by Manu Valcarce on the rule of law and the risks faced by lawyers around the world: “Defending the Rule of Law: Costs and Privileges”. This film discusses the fundamental importance of the rule of law, and of effective justice systems, in upholding human rights and protecting the vulnerable.

It also speaks to the specific dangers faced by lawyers around the world who are threatened for their human rights work. We are extremely grateful to all the lawyers who participated, including Lord Phillips, Richard Hermer, Robert Allen, Kirsty Brimelow, Guy Beringer QC, Sara Chandler QC, Daniel Carey, Alice Garside, Stephen Kinuthia and Mandira Sharma.

Dina Meza

Courage and determination in the face of adversity

Dina Meza is an independent journalist and defender of freedom of expression. She is the director of human rights organisation ASOPODEHU, and founder and President of PEN Honduras, an organisation that supports journalists at risk and runs an online neswpaper that receives up to 30,000 hits a month.

Dina faces harassment and intimidation on a daily basis. She regularly receives threatening phone calls and her mobile is tapped. Cars without number plates follow her and armed men have invaded her house to intimidate her family, which has forced her to move house several times.

"The 31 years of carrying out the defence of human rights has not been easy…  Today I receive the award with colleagues and fellow defenders who were killed, whose bodies were pierced with bullets for defending their territories. We are a community of peace. Resilient. Our only weapon is the word - which is a deadly weapon against violence.”