UK lawyers’ open letter concerning Gaza

JVL Introduction

We repost below the list of signatories to an open letter, signed by a substantial number of UK legal practitioners, legal academics and former members of the judiciary, calling on the UK Government to act urgently to fulfil its international legal obligations in relation to the ever-escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The full letter

• describes in some detail the situation in Gaza which it calls “catastrophic”;
• analyses the serious violations of intenational law that occured on 7th Ocober but makes it absolutely clear that “The commission by one party to a conflict – including an armed group – of serious violations of international humanitarian law does not, however, justify their commission by another party.”
• makes urgent requests on the UK cgovernment which it says is duty-bound to “respect and ensure respect” for international humanitarian law as set out in the Four Geneva Conventions

RK

London
26 October 2023

Dear Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary,

We the undersigned legal practitioners, legal academics and former members of the judiciary, in the United Kingdom (UK), dedicated to upholding the rule of law both domestically and internationally, call on the UK Government to act urgently to fulfil its international legal obligations in relation to the ever-escalating conflict in the Middle East.

In doing so, we are deeply mindful that many people in the UK – including Israelis and Palestinians, and those in the broader Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities – have close ties to the region, and we express our sympathy to all of them, particularly the bereaved, and those whose loved ones are still in grave danger. We are moved to intervene because, in a region already accustomed to great suffering, the death and other harm visited on individuals, families and whole communities in the last 20 days has been truly terrible.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL LETTER

SIGNATORIES*:

*The views and opinions expressed in this letter are those of the signatories and are not intended reflect the official policy or position of their employers, or the organisations of which they are members or otherwise represent.

KING’S COUNSEL
Brian Fee KC, Former Chairman of the General Council of the Bar of Northern Ireland
Andrew Hall KC, Former Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales
The Lord Hendy KC
Theo Huckle KC, Counsel General for Wales 2011-2016
Michael Mansfield KC, Former Judge on the Russell Tribunal on Palestine 2009 – 2014
Henry Blaxland KC
Brenda Campbell KC
Peter Carter KC
Ben Cooper KC
Liz Davies KC
Laura Dubinsky KC
Desmond Fahy KC
Alex Goodman KC
Nina Grahame KC
Garry Green KC
Stephanie Harrison KC
Arthur Harvey KC
David Hislop KC
Raza Husain KC
Michael Ivers KC
Stephen Kamlish KC
Phillippa Kaufmann KC
Karen Quinlivan KC
Aileen McColgan KC
Rajiv Menon KC
Anna Morris KC
Fiona Murphy KC
Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC
Aidan O’Neill KC (Scot.), KC (E&W), BL (Ireland)
Duran Seddon KC
Maya Sikand KC
Adam Straw KC
Pete Weatherby KC
Marc Willers KC
Martin Wolfe KC
James Wood KC

PARTNERS/DIRECTORS OF LAW FIRMS/LEGAL ORGANISATIONS
Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC, Founding Partner of Bindmans LLP
Madeleine Rees OBE, Secretary General Womens International League for Peace and Freedom
Tayab Ali, Partner, Solicitor-Advocate, Bindmans LLP
Tim Barnden, Partner, Bates Wells
Raju Bhatt, Founding Partner of Bhatt Murphy
Benjamin Burrows, Partner, Leigh Day
Raj Chada, Partner, Hodge Jones & Allen
Aisling Ni Chuinn, Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
Ben Croft, Partner, Leigh Day
Paul Dowling, Partner, Leigh Day
Shamik Dutta, Partner, Bhatt Murphy
Annette Elder, Partner, Elder Rahimi Solicitors
James Elliott, Managing Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
Pamela Fitzpatrick, Director at Harrow Law Centre
Tessa Gregory, Partner, Leigh Day
Charlotte Haworth Hird, Partner, Bhatt Murphy
Toufique Hossain, Public Law Director, Duncan Lewis
Christina Juman, Partner, Deighton Pierce Glynn
Bharine Kalsi, Partner, Deighton Pierce Glynn
Shah Jahan H. Khandokar, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Daniel Machover, Partner, Hickman and Rose
Michael Madden, Director, Madden & Finucane Solicitors
Patrick Madden, Director, Madden & Finucane Solicitors
Pierre Makhlouf, Legal Director, Bail for Immigration Detainees
Maria McCloskey, Solicitor and Director of The Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS) Project
Joseph D. McVeigh, Founding Partner, KRW Law LLP Belfast and Council member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland
Richard Meeran, Partner, Leigh Day
Alison Millar, Partner, Leigh Day
Nuala Mole, Founder and Senior Lawyer, on behalf of the AIRE Centre
Shafana Mudasar, Partner, Prolegis Solicitors
Simon Natas, Partner, ITN Solicitors
Marcela Navarrete, Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
Michael Newman, Partner, Leigh Day
Padraig Ó Muirigh, Solicitor and Director, Ó Muirigh Solicitors
Michael Oswald, Partner, Bhatt Murphy Solicitors
Lochlinn Parker, Managing Director, Good Law Practice
Jed Pennington, Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
Megan Phillips, Partner, Bhatt Murphy
Ali Rahimi, Partner, Elder Rahimi Solicitors
Nina Rathbone Pullen, Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
Katy Robinson, Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
Mark Scott, Partner, Bhatt Murphy
Ciaran Shiels, Director, Madden & Finucane Solicitors
Fearghal Shiels, Director, Madden & Finucane Solicitors
Nusrat Uddin, Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
Kevin Winters, Senior Partner, KRW Law LLP Belfast
Linda Wong, Partner, Leigh Day
Zubier Yazdani, Partner, Deighton Pierce Glynn
Osman Zulfiqar, Managing Partner, Prolegis Solicitors

PROFESSORS AND PROFESSORS EMERITUS
Professor Guy S Goodwin-Gill, Emeritus Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford; Emeritus Professor of International Refugee Law, University of Oxford; Honorary Professor, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, Faculty of Law & Justice, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Professor Iain Scobbie, Professor of Public International Law and Director of the Manchester International Law Centre, University of Manchester
Professor Anna Bryson, Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Bill Bowring FAcSS, Birkbeck College
Professor Sara Chandler KC (Hon)
Professor Christine Chinkin, Professorial Research Fellow, Centre for Women, Peace and Security, London School of Economics
Professor Michelle Farrell, Professor of International Law, School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool
Professor Conor Gearty FBA, KC (Hon), London School of Economics
Professor Triestino Mariniello, Professor of Law, Liverpool John Moores University
Rory O’Connell, Professor of Human rights and Constitutional Law, Ulster University
Professor Aoife O’Donoghue, Queen’s University Belfast
Dr David Renton, Barrister and Professor of Practice, SOAS
Professor Emeritus Phil Scraton, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Mohammad Shahabuddin, Professor of International Law & Human Rights, University of Birmingham
Professor Lynn Welchman, SOAS, University of London
Professor David Whyte, Professor Climate Justice, Queen Mary University of London

FORMER JUDICIARY
Catriona Jarvis, Former Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Co-Convener of the Last Rights Project

OTHER BARRISTERS
Zimran Samuel MBE, Barrister and Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics
Leona Askin BL, Barrister
Brigid Baillie, Barrister
Ciara Bartlam, Barrister
Mark Bassett BL, Barrister
Soraya Bauwens, Barrister
Dréa Becker, Barrister
Antonia Benfield, Barrister
Isabel Bertschinger, Barrister
Jacob Bindman, Barrister
Jodie Blackstock, Barrister
Monique Bouffé, Barrister
Joe Brolly, Barrister
Nick Brown, Barrister
Ben Bundock, Barrister
Rosalind Burgin, Barrister
Ulele Burnham, Barrister
Alex Burrett, Barrister
Lisa Casey BL, Barrister
David Chirico, Barrister
Ayesha Christie, Barrister
Simon Cox, Barrister
Meghan Curran, Barrister
Kelly Doherty BL, Barrister
Cathal Doran BL, Barrister
Mary Durkan BL, Barrister
Amean Elgadhy, Barrister
Conan Fegan, Barrister
Rachel Francis, Barrister
Russell Fraser, Barrister
Nicholas Gibson, Barrister
Daniel Grütters, Barrister
Mark Henderson, Barrister
David Heraghty BL, Barrister
Leonie Hirst, Barrister
John Hobson, Barrister
Jonathan Holt, Barrister
Tasaddat Hussain, Barrister
Darryl Hutcheon, Barrister
Tamara Jaber, Barrister
Rehab Jaffer, Barrister
Vijay Jagadesham, Barrister
Mikhil Karnik, Barrister
Michelle Knorr, Barrister
Geeta Koska, Barrister
Séamas MacGiollaCheara BL, Barrister
Samantha Madden BL, Barrister
Margo Munro Kerr, Barrister
Raggi Kotak, Barrister
Lily Lewis, Barrister
Brian Lundy BL, Barrister
Tara Maguire BL, Barrister
Thalia Maragh, Barrister
Piers Marquis, Barrister
Lucy McCann, Barrister
Alexander McColl, Barrister
Ben McCormack, Barrister
Gerard McGettigan BL, Barrister
Séamus McIlroy BL, Barrister
Patrick McMorrow, Barrister
Maryam Mir, Barrister
Annahita Moradi, Barrister
Elizabeth Mottershaw, Barrister
Krishnendu Mukherjee, Barrister
Terry Munyard, Barrister
Angelina Nicolaou, Barrister
Sean O’ Hare BL, Barrister
Richard O’Keeffe, Barrister
Ayesha Omar, Barrister
Ahmed Osman, Barrister
Agata Patyna, Barrister
Charlie Peat, Barrister
Terry Pedro, Barrister
Declan P Quinn BL, Barrister
Darcy Rollins BL, Barrister
Hannah Rought-Brooks, Barrister
Aileen Smyth BL, Barrister
Rudolph Spurling, Barrister
Kate Stone, Barrister
Camille Warren, Barrister
Christian Weaver, Barrister
Hannah Webb, Barrister
Helena Wilson BL, Barrister
Susan Wright, Barrister
Camila Zapata Besso, Barrister

SOLICITORS/LAWYERS
Aamer Anwar, Solicitor
Dr Roba Al-Ghabra, Solicitor
Les Allamby, Solicitor
Meriem Anou, Solicitor
Murshed Anwar, Solicitor
Abdul Azeem, Senior Associate
Stephen Bilko, Solicitor
Syd Bolton, Solicitor and Co-Convener of the Last Rights Project
Gavin Booth, Solicitor
Keshina Bouri, Solicitor
Úna Boyd, Immigration Project Solicitor & Coordinator, Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)
Caroline Brogan, Solicitor
Ruth Bundey, Solicitor
Lauren Chaplin, Solicitor
Nelson Cifuentes, Solicitor
Michael Clements, Solicitor
Afreen Cole, Solicitor
Cecilia Correale, Solicitor
Dr Selma Dabbagh, Solicitor, Head of Strategy & Partnerships, International Centre of Justice for Palestinians
Lydia Dagostino, Solicitor
Jane Deighton, Senior Consultant
Gary Duffy, Solicitor
Mahmoud Elbanhawi, Solicitor
Tamara Fogarty, Solicitor
Nath Gbikpi, Solicitor
Niki Hadjivasiliou, Solicitor
Nicola Hall, Solicitor
Juliane Heider, Solicitor
Rory Thomas Hearty, Solicitor
Nandipha Jordan, Solicitor
Elinor Kirchwey, Solicitor
Lale Kuzu, Solicitor
Jude Lanchin, Solicitor
Russell Levy, Solicitor
Robert Lizar, Solicitor
Setanta Marley, Solicitor
Harun Matin, Solicitor, Head of Crime
Katie McFadden, Solicitor
Gemma McKeown, Solicitor
Sarah McSherry, Solicitor
Sally Middleton, Solicitor
Elizabeth M Millar, Solicitor
Rosa Mottershead, Solicitor
Niall Murphy, Solicitor
Rajiv Nair, Solicitor
Irène Nembhard, Solicitor
Stuart Nolan, Solicitor
Carolin Ott, Senior Associate Solicitor
Monica Laura Padure-Taktak, Solicitor
Muhunthan Paramesvaran, Solicitor
Alex Rowe, Solicitor
Mohammed Saqub, Solicitor
Tom Short, Solicitor
Gus Silverman, Solicitor
Charlotte Sykes, Solicitor
Roopa Tanna, Solicitor
Nadeem Thanvi, Solicitor
Kate Thomas, Solicitor
Imogen Townley, Solicitor
Ms Elena Tsirlina, Solicitor
Sheroy Zaq, Solicitor

OTHER ACADEMICS OF LAW
Judith Bueno de Mesquita, Senior Lecturer, School of Law and Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
Dr. Luigi Daniele, Senior Lecturer, Nottingham Law School (NTU)
Dr Alice Donald, Associate Professor of Human Rights Law, Middlesex University
Dr Catriona Drew, International Law Lecturer, SOAS University of London
Dr. Sara Kendall, Reader in International Law, University of Kent
Dr Julie McCandless, Senior Lecturer, Kent Law School
Dr Luke McDonagh, Assistant Professor, LSE Law School
Dr. Thomas Obel Hansen, Maria Zambrano Distinguished Researcher, Carlos III University, Madrid, Senior Lecturer in Law, Ulster University, Belfast
Dr Lydia Morgan, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham
Dr Natalie Sedacca, Durham Law School
Dr Siva Thambisetty, Associate Professor of Law, London School of Economics
Dr Tara Van Ho, Senior Lecturer in Law and Human Rights, University of Essex
Dr. Marina Velickovic, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of Warwick
Siobhán Wills, Director of the Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University