The conference was organized by SAHR together with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the United Nations Sri Lanka on 20-21 September 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It brought together prominent speakers from the region including Hina Jilani, Lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, former UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders and a member of the Elders; Justice Hari Phuyal, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal; Justice Dheebanaz Fahmy, judge of the High Court of the Maldives; Br. Aneek Haque, Additional Attorney General of Bangladesh; and Colin Gonselves, human rights lawyer from India.
The conference aimed to deepen understanding of comparative human rights practices across South Asia and empower lawyers as mentors and defenders of constitutional freedoms. The panels entailed the themes such as Judicial Accountability for Upholding Human Rights: Lessons from South Asia; The Critical Role of the Judiciary against Discrimination and Violence against Minorities; Extremism and Anti-Terror Laws vs Human Rights: The Role of Lawyers; Lawyers at the Frontline: Defending Rights during People’s Movements; The Importance of Strengthening Lawyers of First Instance Courts; Protecting the Freedoms of Expression and Assembly in South Asia and Challenges and Strategies in Human Rights Activism; Protecting Freedoms in a Changing World.
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