JUSTICE is honoured to announce that the President of our Council, Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws KC, has been appointed to The Order of the Thistle.

The Order of the Thistle, the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland, recognises Scottish people who have held public office or who have contributed in a particular way to national life. The Order is the Scottish equivalent of the Order of the Garter in England. The honour is in recognition of the importance of Baroness Kennedy’s pioneering work in advancing human rights and social justice domestically and internationally.

Baroness Helena Kennedy is one of the UK’s most distinguished lawyers and a lifelong advocate for social justice and human rights. Born in Glasgow, she is a KC and life peer, and was recently appointed to The Order of the Thistle for her pioneering work.

She has held leadership roles at Oxford Brookes, Sheffield Hallam, SOAS, and Mansfield College, and founded Oxford’s Bonavero Institute of Human Rights. She has chaired major commissions and inquiries on education, genetics, human trafficking, and misogyny.

In 2021, she led efforts to evacuate over 100 Afghan women judges and prosecutors at risk under the Taliban, and she currently supports Ukraine on war crimes and child abduction cases.

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