A leading human rights barrister is facing contempt of court proceedings for doing his job.
A leading human rights barrister is facing contempt of court proceedings for doing his job. Rajiv Menon KC is accused of misleading a jury and ignoring a judge's directions during his closing speech in a Palestine Action trial. His crime was reminding jurors of their independence .
The case centres on Menon's representation of Charlotte Head, one of four activists jailed for criminal damage after breaking into the Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems near Bristol in August 2024 . In his closing speech at the first trial, Menon highlighted a plaque at the Old Bailey which sets out the right of juries to give their verdict according to their convictions . He told jurors six times that the trial judge could not direct them to convict .
The judge, Justice Johnson, said the speech had created "a real risk of impeding the proper administration of justice" . Menon is also accused of referring to Elbit Systems being "wined and dined in the corridors of power" . The judge said this was "capable of creating the impression that Elbit Systems had been improperly protected in the proceedings" .
Yet Menon was not wrong about Elbit. The company had been disqualified from a £2.6 billion British Army training contract after a whistleblower alleged a former brigadier had shared information with the firm after leaving the military . Civil servants at the heart of contract decision-making were reportedly invited to dinners organised by Elbit, while a senior officer travelled to Jerusalem on a tourist tour funded by the company . When Menon spoke of Elbit being "wined and dined in the corridors of power", he was describing documented reality .
This is the first time in English legal history that a barrister has faced contempt proceedings for a closing speech at a criminal trial . Garden Court Chambers, where Menon is a senior silk, has warned of the "chilling effect" on the Bar of the state seeking to criminalise barristers for representing their clients . Menon's lawyers say he was "utterly shocked" by the allegations and did not knowingly breach any order .
Menon will appear at the Royal Courts of Justice on 28 July . The question is not just whether he crossed a line, but whether defending the right to protest has now become a crime in itself. The judge's actions lean towards making life difficult for those who keep the issue of Palestine alive in people's conscience, siding instead with a state responsible for killing Palestinians.
posted by Satish Sharma at
09:02
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