Human rights lawyer becomes Edinburgh rector

Human rights lawyer Debora Kayembe has been elected unopposed as the 54th rector of the University of Edinburgh.

She takes up the post on 1 March, succeeding Ann Henderson and becoming the university's third woman rector as well as the first person of colour.

The rector presides over the university’s governing body, the university court, and has also become a voice through which members of the university community can raise difficulties or issues.

Ms Kayembe was called to the Congolese Bar Association in 2000, and has been a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting from 2010-2020. She came to the UK as a refugee and after being admitted to the Law Society of Scotland, has lived in Scotland since 2011. In 2016 she joined the language services of the office of the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA).

She served as Scottish Refugee Council board member from 2013-16. She also joined the Royal Society of Edinburgh/Young Academy of Scotland representing refugee minorities, and has a seat as an expert lawyer to the RSE Working Group for Africa. In 2017 she founded the charity Full Options.

In 2019 she became the first African to have her portrait erected at the wall of the Royal Society, to honour her achievements and contributions.

Last year Ms Kayembe launched the Freedom Walk campaign, a civil rights movement which aims to lobby and campaign on behalf of citizens by promoting social reforms, racial justice and community harmony. She is also petitioning the Scottish Parliament in favour of anti-racist education in Scotland.