Anthony Lester

ANTHONY LESTER, Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC, was an eminent human rights lawyer and activist. He argued leading cases on free speech and equality in European, Commonwealth and British courts and developed the burgeoning field of public law. He campaigned for thirty years for the Human Rights Act 1998. As special adviser to Roy Jenkins, he helped devise the Sex Discrimination and Race Relations Acts. His activities in the Lords led to legislation on civil partnership, forced marriage, equality and defamation reform. He worked with human rights NGOs at home and overseas and was a true internationalist. Anthony was married to Katya and they had two children, Gideon and Maya, and three grandchildren, Benjamin, Alice and Rose. He died in 2020.