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| Letters: Lord Avebury wore his ban from visiting Bahrain as a proud honour | Letters: Lord Avebury wore his ban from visiting Bahrain as a proud honour |
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| Jonathan Fryer writes: Eric Lubbock, later Lord Avebury, was an unflinching defender of human rights. Whether the issue was the treatment of Kurds in the Middle East, or of the population of Kashmir by the Indian security forces, or of Bahrain’s Shia majority by its Sunni monarchy, Eric was as brave and tenacious as a terrier. His mild and courteous exterior was deceptive: he did not suffer fools gladly, and nor did he let the flattery of potentates deflect him from his missions. | Jonathan Fryer writes: Eric Lubbock, later Lord Avebury, was an unflinching defender of human rights. Whether the issue was the treatment of Kurds in the Middle East, or of the population of Kashmir by the Indian security forces, or of Bahrain’s Shia majority by its Sunni monarchy, Eric was as brave and tenacious as a terrier. His mild and courteous exterior was deceptive: he did not suffer fools gladly, and nor did he let the flattery of potentates deflect him from his missions. |
| At one stage, he was banned from visiting Bahrain ever again because he refused to be silent about egregious human rights violations there, and he wore that distinction more proudly than many of his other honours. | At one stage, he was banned from visiting Bahrain ever again because he refused to be silent about egregious human rights violations there, and he wore that distinction more proudly than many of his other honours. |
| Related: Lord Avebury obituary | Related: Lord Avebury obituary |
| Wendy Tyndale writes: Two years before he set up the Parliamentary Human Rights Group in 1976, Lord Avebury became one of the first sponsors of the Chile Committee for Human Rights, founded after the 1973 military coup. We shall always be grateful for all we learned from his integrity – he insisted on the highest standards of proven information – and for his help in furthering what was initially a tiny, unknown group. | Wendy Tyndale writes: Two years before he set up the Parliamentary Human Rights Group in 1976, Lord Avebury became one of the first sponsors of the Chile Committee for Human Rights, founded after the 1973 military coup. We shall always be grateful for all we learned from his integrity – he insisted on the highest standards of proven information – and for his help in furthering what was initially a tiny, unknown group. |
| Richard Harries writes: We owe Eric Avebury a great deal for the determination and perseverance with which he pursued a whole range of human rights issues. One which mattered a great deal to him was getting caste-based discrimination made illegal through its incorporation into the 2010 Equality Act. He was, however, particularly frustrated that though this was passed by both houses of parliament the government has stalled and not yet put it into effect. The clear will of parliament is at present being denied. | |
| Ross Bradshaw writes: While he was an MP, Lord Avebury was a great supporter of Traveller rights. His major achievement was the passing of a private member’s bill into law as the Caravan Sites Act of 1968, obliging local authorities to set up places for Travellers to stop or live at a time when it had become nearly impossible for them to lay up by the road or use traditional stopping places: evictions were a daily occurrence. Much of this progress was, unfortunately, undone by the Conservatives in 1994, but a network of sites survives. Avebury continued his interest in Traveller issues, including the much more recent evictions at Dale Farm, in Essex, and continued to use his position to champion Traveller communities. | Ross Bradshaw writes: While he was an MP, Lord Avebury was a great supporter of Traveller rights. His major achievement was the passing of a private member’s bill into law as the Caravan Sites Act of 1968, obliging local authorities to set up places for Travellers to stop or live at a time when it had become nearly impossible for them to lay up by the road or use traditional stopping places: evictions were a daily occurrence. Much of this progress was, unfortunately, undone by the Conservatives in 1994, but a network of sites survives. Avebury continued his interest in Traveller issues, including the much more recent evictions at Dale Farm, in Essex, and continued to use his position to champion Traveller communities. |
| Carmel Budiardjo writes: Lord Avebury was an unwavering supporter of human rights activism across the world. For more than 20 years, he was the honorary president of Tapol, the organisation that I founded to promote human rights, peace and democracy in Indonesia. He worked tirelessly to condemn the brutality of the Suharto regime in Indonesia, denouncing human rights violations there. He also strongly supported the struggle of the people of Timor-Leste during its 20-year occupation by Indonesia. | Carmel Budiardjo writes: Lord Avebury was an unwavering supporter of human rights activism across the world. For more than 20 years, he was the honorary president of Tapol, the organisation that I founded to promote human rights, peace and democracy in Indonesia. He worked tirelessly to condemn the brutality of the Suharto regime in Indonesia, denouncing human rights violations there. He also strongly supported the struggle of the people of Timor-Leste during its 20-year occupation by Indonesia. |
| I met him frequently, occasionally sharing a meal with him and his family. A softly spoken and generous man who was always smiling, he and his work to promote the causes of the voiceless will be sorely missed. | I met him frequently, occasionally sharing a meal with him and his family. A softly spoken and generous man who was always smiling, he and his work to promote the causes of the voiceless will be sorely missed. |