Fareesha Abdulla

Fareesha Abdulla has worked as a government and private lawyer in Australia and Maldives for over 15 years. After graduating from the University of New England (New South Wales) in 2004 and completing legal practice training at the Australian National University, Fareesha was admitted to the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 2005. She worked as legal officer for the Australian Federal Government until 2009, before being invited to return to Maldives as part of the President’s Office legal team. In 2012 she began private practice, specialising in criminal, family and administrative cases. For six years Fareesha gave high priority to defending human rights in the Maldivian courts, often on a pro bono basis. In 2018 she was appointed to the President’s Commission of Inquiry into unresolved Disappearances and Deaths for the period 1 January 2012 to 17 November 2018. Currently (2020) she leads the Commission. Fareesha is respected in Maldives and Internationally as a dedicated advocate of human rights for Maldivians and its expatriate communities. She has a broad range of contacts and professional relationships with other human rights lawyers and administrators, particularly in South Asia and Europe.