Upington

(Paperback)

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In 1985, Andrea Durbach was appointed solicitor on the notorious Upington trial in South Africa, in which 25 people were arrested for the murder of a local policeman. Fourteen were eventually sentenced to death, and in the ensuing four years, Andrea's life becam inextricably linked with those of the defendants, as it was to the barrister on the case - Anton Lubowski - who became her closest friend. After the largest court case in South African legal history, 11 defendants had their sentence reduced. Four months after the remaining 14 defendants were sentenced to death by hanging, Anton Lubowski was assassinated. Shortly afterwards, Andrea moved to Australia - a move that she considered temporary and found extremely painful, separating her, as it did, from the country and people she loved, and the struggle she supported. In 1991, after the successful appeal against the Upington 14's death sentence, Andrea settled in Australia permanently. In this volume, from the relative safety of Australia, she reveals her personal and political journey, describing both the events of the time and the personal price she had to pay for her struggle.

Author Bio

ANDREA DURBACH was born in Capetown in 1957. She received a law degree at the University of Capetown and practised as a Political Trial Lawyer and Human Rights Advocate in a Capetown law firm for eight years before migrating to Australia. She was a Solicitor in a large Sydney firm for eighteen months before returning to South Africa in 1991 to complete the Upington 25 Appeal. Andrea then returned to Australia and joined the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), where she is now Director.