Regional Congress on the Death Penalty, 11-12 June 2015, Kuala Lumpur

Dear All

Kindly disseminate this invite widely to your contacts.

French association Together against the death penalty (ECPM) in collaboration with ADPAN (Anti-Death Penalty Asian Network), SUHAKAM (Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) and Bar Council Malaysia will be organising the First Regional Congress on the Death Penalty which will take place as follows:

Date: 11th and 12th of June 2015

Time: Day 1: 9.30am - 5.00pm (Registration begins at 9.00am) and Day 2 (9.00am - 5.00pm)

Venue: Grand Ballroom, Level 1, Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

The Congress will focus on the specific stakes of the death penalty in East and South-East Asia and particularly on the issue of the link between death penalty and drugs trafficking. This Congress will be a great opportunity to question the dissuasive power of the death penalty, as the number of drug users and global trafficking are steadily growing.

Admission to the Congress is free but registration is required as seats are limited.

Amongst the speakers are as follows:

YB Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Minister In The Prime Minister's Department, Malaysia (TBC)
Steven Thiru, President, Malaysian Bar

Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, Chairman, Human Rights Commission Malaysia (SUHAKAM)

M Ravi, Human Rights Lawyer, SingaporeDatuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, Advocate & Solicitor, Messrs Sri Ram and Retired Federal Court Judge, Malaysia (TBC)Rafendi Djamin, Representative of Indonesia to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Right (AICHR)Dr Seree Nonthasoot, Representative Thailand to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Right (AICHR)

Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Representative of Malaysia to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Right (AICHR)

Luvsanvandan Bold, Member of Parliament, Mongolia and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mongolia

Mario Marazziti, Member of Parliament, Italy and Community Spokesperson, Sant’Egido, Italy

You can register online here http://goo.gl/LGrCAG or use the attached registration form to register.

The full programme is attached for your attention.

Limited scholarships are available for overseas participants for travel and accommodation upon application to Yi Pan Regional Coordinator at  ypan@abolition.fr

Asian Regional Congress on Death Penalty

Provisional Academic Program

11^th and 12^th June 2015, from 9AM to 5PM

June 11th, 2015
9:00am~10:00 am	Registration for the public
10:00am ~12:00pm	Opening Ceremony Speakers: ·         YB Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Minister In The Prime Minister's Department, Malaysia (TBC) ·         Representative from ADPAN ·         Raphaël Chenuil Hazan, Executive Director, The Organisation Together against the Death Penalty (ECPM), France ·         Ambassadors of the sponsor countries: Norway, France and EU Delegation ·         Testimony of forgiveness Iwamoto’s sister from Japan) ·         Steven Thiru, President , Malaysian Bar ·         Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
12:00pm	Press conference /coffee break with the officials, after the opening ceremony
12:00pm~1:30pm	Lunch time
1:30pm~3:30pm	Plenary session: drugs and death penalty Topic: The inefficiency of death penalty in drug related crimes. The responsibility of the European countries and UN agencies in financing anti-drug programs in retentionist countries. Study of the profile of “mules”. Speakers: Representative from UN Office on Drugs and Crimes Dr Rick Lines, Executive Director, Harm Reduction International, United Kingdom Rick Gunawan, Programme Director, Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH) Masyarakat (Community Legal Aid Institute), Indonesia Professor Franklin Zimring,   School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America Professor Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Malaysia (TBC) M Ravi, Human Rights Lawyer, Singapore
3:30pm~4:00pm	Coffee break
4:00pm~5:00pm	Workshop 1: the mandatory death penalty Topic: Make a clear distinction between the death penalty and the mandatory death penalty, to consider the abolition of the mandatory death penalty as a first step towards total abolition. Progress and regression of the mandatory death penalty. Identification of steps for abolition of the mandatory death penalty. Speakers: ·         Professor Chan Wing Cheong, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore  (TBC). ·         N. Surendran, Advocate & Solicitor, Messrs  Edwin Lim Suren & Soh, Malaysia and Member of Parliament, Padang Serai, Kedah Malaysia (TBC) ·         Saul Lehrfreund, Co-Executive Director, The Death Penalty Project , United Kingdom ·         Gobind Singh Deo, Advocate & Solicitor, Messrs Gobind Singh Deo & Co, Malaysia and Member of Parliament, Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia
5:00pm~6:00pm	Testimonies: Judicial Officials/Judges and the Death Topic: Judicial Officials and Judges will testify their personal experiences when dealing with a death penalty case: how they made decisions; what their reflections are. Speakers: ·         Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, Advocate & Solicitor, Messrs Sri Ram and Retired Federal Court Judge, Malaysia (TBC) ·         Ching Hsien, Chen, Judge, Taiwan

June 12th, 2015
9:00am~10:30am	First Roundtable discussion: The elements of unfair trials Topic: The topic of discrimination in the use of the death penalty. Point out the non-respect of criminal law-guaranteed procedures: unaccompanied defendant during the interrogations, confessions sometimes obtained under torture, etc. Remind retentionist countries to respect the criminal procedures set up and guaranteed by the Criminal Procedure Code. Speakers: Representative from ADPAN (moderator) Abdul Rashid Ismail, Advocate & Solicitor, Messrs Rashid Zulkifli and Past President, National Human Rights Society (HAKAM), Malaysia  Parvais Jabbar, Co-Executive Director, The Death Penalty Project, United Kingdom Zhi-Hao Huang, Lawyer, Taiwan ·         Puri Kencana Putri, Research Bureau, The Commission for “the Disappeared” and Victims of Violence ( Kontras), Indonesia
10.30am~11:00am	Coffee break
11:00am~12:30am	Second roundtable discussion: Diplomacy and death penalty Topic: The diplomatic leverages, a useful tool to help advance the abolitionist cause. The role of interregional organizations (e. g.ASEAN) to promote the abolition of the death penalty in Asia. Speakers: ·         Rafendi Djamin, Representative of Indonesia to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Right (AICHR) ·         Dr Seree Nonthasoot, Representative Thailand to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Right (AICHR) ·         Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Representative of Malaysia to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Right (AICHR) ·         Luvsanvandan Bold, Member of Parliament, Mongolia and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mongolia   ·         Representative of one of the diplomatic delegation active in East/ South East Asia for fighting death penalty (TBC)
12:30pm~2:00pm	Lunch time
2:00pm~3:30pm	Workshop 2: Diplomacy and death penalty Topic: Sharing experiences on how to incorporate international pressure and diplomacy pressure with local campaigns. Develop common strategies adapted to the particular context of the considered area: East and South East Asia. Speakers: ·         Raphaël Chenuil Hazan, Executive Director, The Organisation Together against the Death Penalty (ECPM), France ·         Aurélie Plaçais, Program Director, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, France ·         Clive Stafford Smith, Founder & Director, Reprieve, United Kingdom / Hanna Gormann, Head of European Commission Project, Reprieve, United Kingdom ·         Chiara Sangiorgio, Death Penalty Researcher, Amnesty International, United Kingdom ·         A VOIR AVEC KARINE, International Federation for Human Rights FIDH ·         Mario Marazziti, Member of Parliament, Italy and Community Spokesperson, Sant’Egido, Italy ·         Bhatara Ibnu Reza, Operational Coordinator, The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial), Indonesia
2:00pm~3:30pm	Workshop 3: Working with the victims’ families Topic: Death penalty should not be only tackled through law and legislation approaches. Telling stories, talking about individuals who are directly affected by the death penalty is essential to raise awareness among the media and the public. The importance of creating educational tools about the work with the victims’ families. Focus on how we can work with the victim’s family from an NGO’s point of view. How to reach them without scare them away and develop a relationship with the victim’s family. How to reach out to different victims groups and work with them. Speakers: ·         Jiazhen Wu, Deputy Director, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP), Taiwan ·         Arthur Wilson, Executive Director, Prison Fellowship Pakistan, Pakistan ·         Toshi Kazama, New York-based photographer, Journey of Hope
2:00pm~3:30pm	Workshop 4 : Teaching abolition Topic:  The integration of educative workshops in academic systems’ curricula. Speakers: ·         Marianne Rossi, The Organisation Together against the Death Penalty (ECPM), France ·         Munkhjavhlan Baatar, Lecturer, National University of Mongolia and Human Rights Activist, Mongolia ·         Connie Chan Man-Wai, Senior Campaigner, Amnesty International, Hong Kong ·         Li-shu, Weng,  Elementary School Teacher, Taiwan ·         Datuk Dr Khaw Lake Tee, Vice-Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
3:30pm~4:00pm	Coffee break
4:00pm~5:00pm	Closing ceremony Speakers: ·         Embassies ·         ECPM ·         ADPAN ·         WCADP (president of the coalition)