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The 3rd annual LAWASIA Human Rights Conference was successfully held on the 20th of August 2022, on the theme of ‘Human Rights in Times of War and Conflict’.
The conference, which was jointly organised by the LAWASIA Human Rights Committee and the Malaysian Bar, featured a range of diverse and highly qualified panellists from across the world, including Mr U Thien Oo, the Justice Minister of the National Unity Government in Myanmar, Dr Anton Korynevych from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and Mdm Karen Cheah, the President of the Malaysian Bar Council.
The full-day conference brought together over 520 legal professionals from across 37 jurisdictions to exchange legal knowledge, advocate for the rule of law and protection of human rights and advance the state of the legal profession in the Asia Pacific region. Conference participants engaged deeply with pertinent global and regional issues including refugee rights, national security laws, hate speech, and economic sanctions. In the session on Hate Speech & Fake Speech, for example, participants were challenged by speakers from Nepal, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong SAR to explore how the law can play a role in regulating speech while safeguarding the right to freedom of expression.
One key highlight from the conference was a video contribution by Mr Karim A. A. Khan KC, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who spoke on the topic of “Current Developments in International Criminal Justice”. The conference ended with the 6th Meeting of the LAWASIA Human Rights Lawyers’ Network, which provided a platform for legal practitioners to connect and discuss legal issues arising in various jurisdictions.
LAWASIA welcomes contributions to its Human Rights blog from conference speakers, providing a summary of their conference presentations. Contributions should be emailed to [email protected].
The LAWASIA Human Rights Committee extends its gratitude to all speakers, participants, and organising committee members whose support and contributions helped to make the conference a wonderful success.
Written by Allyna Ng
*Allyna Ng recently completed her pupillage in Malaysia and is about to commence practice as an associate at Kanesalingam & Co, Kuala Lumpur. She has a keen interest in human rights and public interest litigation and was a member of the organizing team for the 3rd Human Rights Conference.
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