Human rights lawyer Lord Joffe of Liddington, aged 85

Tributes have been paid to the human rights lawyer Lord Joffe who defended Nelson Mandela during the trial at which the anti-apartheid leader was sentenced to life in prison.

Joel Joffe, who died on Sunday aged 85, was part of Mandela’s defence team in 1963, and went on to become a Labour peer as Baron Joffe of Liddington in 2000.

Anti-apartheid campaigner Lord Hain described Lord Joffe as an “iconic” and “highly respected” figure.

The Labour peer and former Welsh secretary said: “(He was) a totally generous person, warm, passionate, and he continued to fly the flag for the anti-apartheid struggle and subsequently the new South Africa.

“He’s an iconic figure who will be much missed – he never sought the limelight, he just supported everybody else.”

A former leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, said: “Joel Joffe was one of the most unassuming men I have known, yet a giant in terms of his lifetime fight for justice.

“He is still rightly revered in South Africa for his crucial role as part of Nelson Mandela’s defence team in the Rivonia trial.”

She said South Africa’s “long march to freedom would have been slower” without Lord Joffe’s work and said she was “hugely proud that we shared the red benches in the House of Lords”.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said: “It is with great sadness that the Nelson Mandela Foundation has learned of the passing of Lord Joel Joffe in London.

“Our condolences go out to his family and friends, his comrades and all the many people he helped in his life as an attorney.”

South African-born Lord Joffe moved to the UK in 1965 after the conclusion of Mandela’s trial and was chairman of Oxfam from 1995 to 2001.

Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB’s chief executive, said the peer had “an enormous influence” on the charity, and praised his “unswerving sense of justice and commitment to ending poverty”.

“He was able to use his sharp legal mind and years of experience in business to challenge authority and increase the effectiveness of our work around the world.

“His fearless campaigning for care of the elderly, corporate responsibility and global development shaped the world for the better.”

Lord Joffe.