Salome Nduta Mbugua (Global Change Leaders, 2016), a Protection Officer for the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Kenya will be awarded the inaugural Scottish Bar International Human Rights Award at a ceremony in Edinburg this November.
The award aims to, “honour men and women overseas who champion human rights in the most challenging of circumstances”.
“When Scottish lawyers take up the challenge of defending human rights, we are fortunate that we do so in a mature and well-developed legal system that respects the rule of law. In many other countries, human rights lawyers are victims of violence, intimidation, harassment, smear campaigns and surveillance.
“Despite that, human rights lawyers and defenders achieve remarkable outcomes. They play a key role in upholding the rule of law by representing local communities and victims of alleged mass human rights violations in areas of armed conflict, social unrest, persecution of minorities or environmental conflicts.
“It is important to recognise these achievements and the bonds of solidarity and respect that exist between lawyers globally who work upholding human rights and the rule of law.”