Jennifer Robinson is an Australianhuman-rights lawyer. She is the Legal Director for the Bertha Foundation in London and an Adjunct Lecturer in Law at the University of SydneyLaw School.[1]
Since 2010, Robinson has been a member of a legal team representing Assange and WikiLeaks in London.[2] Before moving to England, her most notable work was for the Institute for Advocacy and Study of Human Rights (Elsham), a human rights organisation in Papua, Indonesia for whom she was a legal-aid volunteer.
She attended Bomaderry High School and graduated from the Australian National University in Canberra with a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and the University Medal and a Bachelor of Asian Studies and the Distinguished Scholar Award for Asian Studies.[3][4] She was admitted as a Solicitor in New South Wales.
In 2002, Robinson worked as a volunteer at the Institute for Advocacy and Study of Human Rights (Elsham), a human rights organisation in Papua, Indonesia until her stay was cut short by the first Bali bombings.[3]
She was an Australia-at-Large Rhodes Scholar to the University of Oxford and graduated in 2006 from Balliol College with a Bachelor of Civil Law with Distinction and a Master of Philosophy in International Public Law.[5]
Throughout her education, Robinson has worked on volunteer projects involving the accountability of multinational corporations for human rights abuses, with a particular interest in the Freeport mine in West Papua.
Whilst at Oxford University, she worked part time for the human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson. In 2008, she became Robertson's Instructing Solicitor. She led a project for the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative on Business and Human Rights.[5]
From 2009, she worked at the London law firm of Finers Stephens Innocent LLP. She became the legal adviser to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in October 2010.
In 2011, she became the Legal Director for the Bertha Foundation in London, with the task of creating and developing a global human rights and public interest law program.[5]
On April 18, 2012, Robinson alleged on her Twitter feed that she was delayed from checking in at London's Heathrow Airport, having been told that she was "inhibited"[6] by "certain government agencies"[7] from travelling. A security guard is alleged to have told her "you must have done something controversial"[7] while, it was claimed, the security staff phoned the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs. Robinson then tweeted "@dfat Please explain: What is the "inhibited" travel list? And why am I now apparently on it?"[8][9][10] Senator Scott Ludlum sent a tweet questioning the Department of Foreign Affairs: "@DFAT care to explain why @suigenerisjen is on your watch list? what kind of threat do human rights lawyers pose exactly?"[9] After the delay, Robinson was allowed to board her flight bound for Australia.[10]
Within hours of the question being asked by Robinson, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs is quoted as having said to Crikey magazine: “We are not aware of any Australian Government restriction applying to Ms Robinson’s travel. As an Australian with a valid passport, she would be free to return to Australia at any stage. The UK border authorities or airline of travel may be able to provide further insight on claims that she was impeded from boarding her flight.” [10]The Guardian also reports that ""The Australian High Commission in London has no record of a call being received from UK authorities concerning her travel." [11]
After arriving in Australia and speaking personally with Nicola Roxon, Robinson tweeted that Roxon "confirmed the Australian government had nothing to do with the issue I had at Heathrow and expressed concern for protection of lawyers".[12]
Bernard Keane reported in Crikey that "inhibited person" is "not a term used by Australian agencies" but, Keane claimed, it was a term used by the United StatesDepartment of Homeland Security.[13]
Despite extensive media coverage, no independent evidence has ever been identified (other than that of Robinson) for the event occurring in the way Robinson describes.[14]
In 2008, she was one of only thirty pro bono lawyers named by the UK Attorney General as a National Pro Bono Hero.[citation needed]
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