Janice Muchemi received the award at an event hosted by the Faculty of Advocates in Parliament House in Edinburgh yesterday.

Admitted to the bar in Kenya in 2015, she has been actively engaged in litigation practice at the International Justice Mission (IJM) in Kenya for the past seven years. IJM is a global organisation that seeks to protect people living in poverty from violence by strengthening criminal justice systems, restoring survivors of violence and holding criminals accountable.

Welcoming guests to the awards ceremony Dean of Faculty Roddy Dunlop KC said the Scottish Bar International Human Rights Award aimed to “honour and celebrate the human rights defenders working across the world in difficult circumstances”. This year’s winner was chosen after a vigorous selection process was used to sift through exceptionally strong applications, he added.

Mr Dunlop sat on the selection panel for the award, chaired by Lord Bonomy, a retired senator of the College of Justice and and former judge of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Other panel members were Alan Miller, professor of practice in human rights law and independent expert with the UN Development Programme Crisis Bureau, treasurer of the Faculty of Advocates Ruth Crawford KC, and Shelagh McCall KC, convenor of Faculty’s Human Rights and Rule of Law Committee.

Presenting the award Lord Bonomy said: “Human rights lawyers and defenders play a vital role, all the more so at the present time. The 2023 Rule of Law Index revealed that more than six billion people live in a country where the rule of law weakened in the previous year. The situation for human rights is even more acute than when Faculty first launched the award in 2018.

“This year’s award saw a strong field of candidates with nearly 40 applications being received. They included lawyers, journalists, youth activists, and artists. Some were working in their own countries, others were living in exile. They spanned the globe with applications from North, Central and South America, East, Central and South Asia, Oceania, Africa and Europe.

“Among that strong field, our award winner this year stood out. Janice Muchemi represents victims of violence against women and children and victims of police abuse of power through the criminal justice system. But her work is not confined to the courts. She also promotes reforms to policy and practice to accommodate the plight of victims and is engaged in advocacy programmes to promote awareness of victims’ rights so as to protect the poorest and most vulnerable members of society against abuse.”

Ms Muchemi said she was “deeply honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Scottish Bar International Human Rights Award. IJM is a global organisation that collaborates with relevant government agencies across the world to support public justice systems to effectively protect everyone equally, especially those in poverty. You will agree with me that the law in most cases does not work equally to protect everyone”.

She commended Faculty for organising a “remarkable programme” for her during her stay in Scotland which offered her numerous opportunities to engage with other passionate experts working in the human rights space.

“Each of these experiences has been transformative. I leave Edinburgh with a fresh perspective on what a responsive and people-centred justice system can look like. My hope is renewed. The knowledge, encouragement, and inspiration I have received here will go a long way in strengthening our mission to reform the justice system in Kenya, so that it serves and protects, regardless of socio-economic status,” she said.

Shelagh McCall KC added: “It has been a real pleasure to host Janice Muchemi here in Scotland. Her work to tackle police brutality and combat impunity is inspirational. It reminds us how important it is to stand in solidarity with lawyers working on the front line, where standing up for human rights can literally be life threatening.

“Here in Scotland, we can become complacent about what it means to work to protect human rights. Whatever challenges we face here, our lives are not in danger for simply trying to obtain justice for victims. The Scottish Bar International Human Rights Award is our chance to recognise colleagues working in far more difficult circumstances. Janice is a worthy recipient. She must be an incredible advocate to have on your side, and we are pleased and humbled to stand at her side in support of her work.”