defend the right to free speech - sacc

MOAZZAM BEGG (formerGuantanamo Bay detainee)“An avid defender ofothers’ rights is beingforced to take the stand forattempting to defend hisclient. ‘Going for the lawyer’

is something I’ve seen happening inGuantanamo. I didn’t expect it would behappening in Britain too. I urge all fair-minded people in this country to standwith Aamer Anwar in solidarity for thesake of justice and freedom.”

CHHOKAR FAMILYJUSTICE CAMPAIGN(Darshan Chhokar,Gurdev Kaur ChhokarPICTURED, Manjit Kaur,and Professor PhilTaylor) “Aamer is an

honest and dignified professional whosimply stands up and speaks out for thosewho are vulnerable against the system. Heshouldn’t be punished for helping others.”

ALEX NEIL SNP, JAMIE HEPBURN SNP, IANMcKEE SNP, MARGO McDONALD INDEPENDENT,CHRISTINE GRAHAME SNP, SANDRA WHITE SNP,AND ELAINE SMITH LABOUR PARTY (MSPS) “Weare deeply concerned that Aamer Anwar isfacing contempt of court. Conviction wouldset a dangerous precedent, threatening theability of lawyers to speak out againstperceptions of injustice in the interests oftheir clients. The Scottish judicial system is,and should be, robust enough to tolerateand absorb such criticism”

LOUISE CHRISTIAN (humanrights lawyer) “In ademocratic society lawyersmust have freedom ofexpression. Aamer Anwar isa dedicated campaigninglawyer who should not be

subjected to this pressure on hisprofessional career.”

IAIN BANKS (author) “AamerAnwar is a symbol offreedom. There is a need tospeak out when the right todissent and the right tospeak the truths that need tobe spoken are under threat.

I’d urge anyone who believes in fairnessand simple human decency to support him.The Scottish judicial system has enough tobe ashamed of after the Lockerbie trial; letthere be no more injustice in its name.”

OPEN LETTER SIGNATORIES: Ahmed Ceesay, RefugeeLegal Centre; Anne Gray, CAMPACC and Green Party(personal capacity); Alastair Lyon, Birnberg Pierce &Partners (solicitor, London); Alex Neil, ScottishNationalist Party (MSP); Andrew Fullwood, EIS (councilp/c, Glasgow); Angela Jackman, Fisher Meredith LLPSolicitors (partner and joint head of dept); Angie Zelter,peace and environmental campaigner; AyeshaSiddique, sister of Mohammed Atif Siddique; BashirAhmad, Scottish Nationalist Party (MSP); Bashir Mann,Muslim Council of Scotland (convenor); Beth Junor,writer; Bill Wilson, Scottish Nationalist Party (MSP);Caroline Austin, National Union of Journalists (London);Chris Nineham, Stop the War Coalition (nationalofficer); Christopher Helm, Princes Park Labour Party(Liverpool); Colin Fox, Scottish Socialist Party; DavidFerrard, singer-songwriter; Des Loughney, EdinburghTrade Union Council; Dr Dora Scholarios, University ofStrathclyde; Dr Eileen Berrington, AmnestyInternational (Scotland); Dr Eileen Berrington, AmnestyInternational and Manchester Metropolitan University(senior lecturer in criminology); Dr Geoff Whittham,University of Paisley; Dr Gerry Mooney, The OpenUniversity; Dr John McKernan, University of Glasgow;Dr John Welford, NO2ID (Edinburgh); Dr JonathanCharley, University of Strathclyde; Dr Kirsty Newsome,University of Strathclyde; Dr Marion Hersh, University

of Glasgow, University & College Union (national execp/c); Dr Mark Cowling, University of Teeside (reader incriminology, school of social sciences and law,Cleveland); Dr Patricia McCafferty, University ofStrathclyde; Dr Sacha Darke, University ofWestminster; Dr Shafi Kauser, Glasgow CentralMosque (general secretary); Dr Susan Blackwell,University & College Union (national exec p/c); DuncanMcLaren, Friends of the Earth Scotland (chiefexecutive p/c); Eileen Pembridge, Fisher Meredith LLP(solicitor; senior partner; dept head, London); EniolaAdewale (Glasgow); Frances Webber, Garden CourtChambers (London); Gary Kelly, HIV blood tranfusiongroup (Glasgow); George Galloway (MP); GrahamCampbell, African & Caribbean Network (chair p/c);Hassan Ghani, Islam Channel News; Hugh Kerr,Member of the European Parliament 1994-99; HumzaYousaf (Glasgow); Iain Banks, writer; Imran Khan(solicitor; partner, London); Jamie Hepburn, ScottishNationalist Party (MSP); Jane Tallents, G8 legalsupport group in 2005; Jim Bollan, Scottish SocialistParty (councillor, West Dunbartonshire); JimMackechnie, Labour Party (councillor, Glasgow); JimTaggart, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (nationalexec p/c); Jock Morris, Glasgow Campaign toWelcome Refugees (chair); John McManus,Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (coordinator,

Scotland); Keir McKechnie, Glasgow Stop the WarCoalition (secretary); Keith Hammond, University ofGlasgow; Khadijah Aadam, Muslim Prisoner SupportGroup; Lindsay German, Stop the War Coalition(national convener); Liz Davies, Haldane Society ofSocialist Lawyers (chair); Lorraine Barrie, Govan LawCentre (associate solicitor); Maggie Dickson, GovanLaw Centre (associate solicitor); Margaret Gordon,Christian Khan Solicitors (partner); Marion Snee,Unison (steward, Dundee); Mark Brown, theatre critic;Mark Golding, Children Of Iraq Association(Buckinghamshire); Massoud Shadhareh, IslamicHuman Rights Commission (chair); Mick Napier,Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign; Mike Arnott,Dundee TUC; Mike Haseler, scottishhumanrights.org.uk;Moazzam Begg, former Guantanamo Bay detainee andspokesperson for Cageprisoners; Mohammad NaveenAsif, Scottish Afghan Society (president); MohammedSarwar, Labour Party (MP); Muddassar Arani, Arani &Co (solicitor, London); Nahella Ashraf, GreaterManchester Stop the War Coalition (chair); NicolaFisher, Glasgow Stop the War Coalition (chair); PhilMcGarry, RMT Scotland (regional organiser p/c); PremSikka, Association for Accountancy & Business Affairs(London); Professor Chris Baldry, University ofStirling; Professor David Miller, University ofStrathclyde; Professor Frank Land, London School of

Economics; Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya (WestMidlands); Professor Jeff Hyman, University ofAberdeen; Professor Lindsay Farmer, University ofGlasgow; Professor Mike Gonzales, University ofGlasgow; Professor Phil Scraton, Queen’s University(Belfast); Professor Paul Stewart, University ofStrathclyde; Professor R H Gray (Fife); Rev HughDrummond (Edinburgh); Richard Haley, ScotlandAgainst Criminalising Communities (secretary);Robina Qureshi, Positive Action in Housing (director,Glasgow); Rowena Arshad, Centre for Education forRacial Equality in Scotland (p/c); Safia Ali,Pollokshields Development Agency (manager);Saghir Hussain, Johns & Saggar Solicitors (crime andprison law dept head, London); Samuel Tarry, LondonYoung Labour (chair); Sandra White, ScottishNationalist Party (MSP); Sean McLoughlin, TRPSolicitors (partner, Birmingham); Sean Wallis,University & College Union (secretary, UniversityCollege London); Shirley-Ann Somerville, ScottishNationalist Party (MSP); Susan Nash, ACLU AmnestyInternational and Human Rights Watch (USA); TamDean Burn; Tom Leonard, poet and author; TommySheridan, Solidarity (co-convenor, MSP between1999-07); Tony Benn, Stop the War Coalition(president); Tina McGreevy (solicitor); Wendy Pearman,Trident Ploughshares …

GARETH PIERCE (solicitor who defended theBirmingham Six) “It is a sad and dangerousday for our country if a lawyer who seesinjustice cannot say so loud and clear.”

PROFESSOR LINDSAY FARMER (Universityof Glasgow school of law) “It is vital to thepractice and success of democracy thatlawyers and others are able to comment freelyand critically on the conduct of court cases.”

KENNY ROSS (Fire BrigadesUnion, Scotland) “It is thefundamental right of anycitizen in a free society tovoice their opinion, whetherthat is in the letters page of anewspaper, a parliamentarychamber, or on the steps of acourt. It is vital for the sakeof us all who cherish ourfreedoms that the caseagainst Aamer Anwar is notonly defeated but crushed.”

ROSE GENTLE (MilitaryFamilies Against War) “AamerAnwar has fought injusticefor years, in manycampaigns, and has been aleader of the anti-warmovement in Scotland.

Nobody else will fight harder to representyour interests.”

PADDY HILL (BirminghamSix) “As one of theBirmingham Six, beaten andtortured and wrongfullyimprisoned for 17 years, Iunderstand the importanceof individuals who defend

human rights. In a world where more peopleare seen as suspects, the need for humanrights lawyers has never been more crucial.”

OSAMA SAEED (MuslimAssociation of Britain,Scotland) “This process is awaste of time and resources.I don’t know anyone whowas calling for Aamer’sblood after what he said. He

enjoys enormous support from ordinarypeople who can see a witch-hunt here andare rankled by yet another double standardon free speech.”

MOHAMMAD AtifSiddique wassentenced to eightyears in prison forterrorism offences in

October 2007. Irrespective of thediffering views on the outcome of thecase, the criticism levelled towardsMr Siddique’s solicitor, Aamer Anwar,over a statement he released on theday of the verdict is disturbing.

Aamer was accused of showingdisrespect to the judge, the jury, andthe court, and is to face a contemptof court hearing with three High Courtjudges on April 29 and 30, 2008.

This is deeply worrying and is anunprecedented attack on the principleof freedom of speech.

Aamer has earned a reputation asone of the most prominent humanrights lawyers in Scotland. Herepresented the Chhokar family intheir long struggle for justice and hasdiligently defended asylum-seekers.

Victims of the ‘war on terror’—people accused of terrorism buteventually proved innocent of allcharges—have also been representedby him.

In 2005, he helped negotiate a way

to the G8 Summit at Gleneagles anddefended demonstrators who werearrested during the protests.

Following the collapse of theWorld’s End trial, the Lord Advocatestressed the importance of theindependence of the judiciary andprosecution. Equally as important isan independent defence, which isoften all that stands between theaccused and the state.

We might not always agree withAamer but he is part of a rich andimportant tradition of campaigninglawyers that speak without ‘fear orfavour’. A lawyer’s job is to representtheir clients to the best of theirability—regardless of the crimes ofwhich they are accused.

All those who campaign againstinjustice and for a better world knowthat one day they may have to facethe state in a courtroom. Everyoneshould be worried if the effect of thiscase is to make lawyers reluctant tocarry out this work for fear of thepossibility of repercussions.

We, the undersigned, believe thatthe current attack on Aamer Anwar isan attack on the fundamental right ofall lawyers to represent their clients.

Open letter in support of Aamer Anwar

ASIF SIDDIQUE (elder brother of AtifSiddique) “The Siddique family are angeredand appalled at this attack on AamerAnwar. It is an attempt to silence thiscourageous lawyer. The statement madeoutside Glasgow’s High Court last year wasthe view of Atif Siddique and our family. Westand shoulder to shoulder with Aamer. It istime to stand up and defend those whodefend our civil liberties.

DEFEND THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECHDefend civil liberties

Show your support and assemble outside the High Court in Edinburgh at 9.30am on Tuesday 29 April. For more information email defendaameranwar@gmail.comAdvert produced by Defend Aamer Anwar Campaign. For the list of signatories (and to add your name) visit www.sacc.org.uk/aameranwar

ADVERTISEMENT