ASIA: Meeting of Asian experts on torture law and practice

ASIA: Meeting of Asian experts on law and practice in respect of torture

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Hong Kong, 23-25 September 2011

Hong Kong, June 15, 2011 - REDRESS and the Asian Human Rights Commission are delighted to issue this call for applications to participate in a regional expert meeting which forms part of the action "Reparation for Torture: Global Sharing of Expertise" supported by the EU European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights. The meeting will take place in Hong Kong on 23-25 September 2011.

The meeting aims to bring together a series of experts with experience in assisting torture survivors in the countries of the region to identify systemic challenges and best practices. It will provide an opportunity to exchange information and experiences of use in litigating torture cases and advocating legal and institutional reforms. The meeting forms part of a series of regional events that seek to strengthen the collaboration of practitioners to more effectively combat torture. The contributions made before and during the meetings will be reflected in regional and global reports on the law and practice relating to the prohibition of torture to be published in several languages.

The meeting will include panel discussions covering a range of issues relating to the prohibition of torture and its practical application in the region, such as prevention of torture and related ill-treatment, accountability and reparation processes, country-specific problems, as well as the identification and analysis of recurrent problems and best practices. We hope to have an outcome document agreed by the participants of the meeting which will serve as its communiqué and can be used in public advocacy and awareness raising activities across the continent.

This call is open to practising lawyers and civil society experts in the countries of the region, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, PDRK, the Philippines, Rep. of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam. A total number of 18 participants will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

• proven track-record of bringing human rights cases and experience in representing torture survivors before domestic courts and/or other fora;
• demonstrated interest in and/or knowledge of human rights law and its application in different contexts;
• interest in sharing experience and learning more about the situation in other countries of the region, as well as international standards in the field.
The following criteria will be used as subsidiary ones:
• wide range of relevant experience, including different types of cases, concerning various aspects of the prohibition of torture;
• at least two years of experience in litigation;
• shown interest of engagement with international mechanisms and international projects;
• academic record (published articles in peer-reviewed journals, books in English or other international languages).

Participants are expected to present a case study on the basis of a pending or recently concluded case from their own practice. Before the meeting, participants will be asked to provide responses to a detailed questionnaire on the law and practice on torture in their countries, which will be discussed during the meeting and reflected in the regional and global reports.

Participants are expected to attend all three days of the meeting and to contribute actively to the panel discussions and round tables which will be conducted in English. We encourage participants to chair one of the panel discussions.

The organisers will cover travel and accommodation expenses of the participants.

Please apply by 10 July 2011 by sending a cover letter setting out your experience and interest in participating at the meeting together with your CV to sergey@redress.org and basil.fernando@ahrc.asia.

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