It was a pleasure to celebrate with Cameron Murphy AM his investiture to Member of Order of Australia in the General Division “for significant service to the community through a range of human rights and civil liberties organisations.” 

Cameron’s contribution to protection of civil liberties and human rights in Australia is legendary and I am glad that it was acknowledged. My best congratulations, well done Cameron!

Below are photos from the Investiture ceremony show Cameron with Sir Nichols Shehadie,  his partner Agatha and brother Blake.

I was delighted to host as guest speaker at the UWS Open Forum the Hon Michael Kirby, AC CMG, Retired Justice of the High Court and Human Rights Champion who spoke to an audience of some 200 people.In his speech Mr Kirby  discussed the recent report produced the Commission of Inquiry on North Korea. This UN Report is unprecedented. It documents the “gravity, scale and nature” of crimes against humanity committed in North Korea and reveals “a State that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.” After reporting to the UN Security Council and travelling around the world to speak on this report, Mr Kirby will spoke  tho UWS audience about the impact of the report and responses to the report from the international community.

A biography of the speaker and more information on the Open Fora series is available at http://www.uws.edu.au/open_for a

I am pleased to let you know that the international conferences on Human Rights Education (IHRE) I initiated in 2010 in Sydney continue to advance human rights culture world-wide. The next IHRE conference will be held at the American University, in Washington DC USA on 4-6 December 2014 and is entitled: The 5th International Human Rights Education Conference: ‘Advancing UNiversal Human Rights Culture‘.(opens in new window)

The conference will then return to Australia either in 2015 or 2016.

The conference title is broad and applying to as many people (not only lawyers) working in HRE as possible, with some focus on UN (keeping UN in capitals as a part of universal is not a mistake). Please save the date in your calendars – I hope that at least some of you would be able to attend.

Professor Claudio Grossman, Raymond Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law, Dean, American University Washington College of Law and Chairperson of the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) will serve as the Conference Convenor.  An invitation to submit a paper proposal is attached here: 2014-07-01 Dean’s Invitation for papers ltr

The conference website is under construction by the conference management team under the leadership of Ms Jennifer Dabson, Director, Office of Special Events and Continuing Legal Education, American University Washington College of Law. We hope that the formal call for papers will be issued in early June.

See you at the Conference.

See attached

2014-07-23 Open Forum Invitation – Challenging Racism

Hon David Kilgour JD and I participated in a public forum hosted by David Shoebridge MLC after screening of a documentary: “Transcending Fear: The Story of Gao Zhisheng.” The summary of the event is provided below.

A screening of a documentary “Transcending Fear: The Story of Gao Zhisheng “ at Macquarie Room, NSW Parliament House, about detained Chinese human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng last week, left audience members concerned at the extent of human rights abuse in China and expressing concern about inaction.

“It is in our interest to have a country where people can determine what actions their government can take, otherwise China is a bit dangerous,” said Dr Sev Ozdowski , Human Rights Commissioner 2000-2005.

Around 60 legislators, lawyers and academics attended the screening at the New South Wales Parliament June 18. They were horrified at the torture and abuse lawyer Gao recounted in the film.

“How can we stop this when everyone focuses on trade with China?” asked one audience member who was from the group Young Lawyers for Human Rights.

Tim Wilson, Australia’s present Human Rights Commissioner said that criticizing China about human rights would not affect trade and conceded that the Australian Government could do more to pressure Chinese authorities.

“They need to take it to a much higher standing,” he said.

He said he was “personally very moved” by the film and called on audience members to take copies of the film, show more people and become more active in lobbying politicians about their concerns.

“Politicians have to understand these issues matter to the public,” he said.

Described by the Hon. David Kilgour a former Canadian Secretary of State Asia Pacific, as a combination of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, Gao Zhisheng continued to highlight corruption and injustice in the legal system despite brutal abuse, threats to his life and his family’s.

A Christian, Mr Gao fought for landowners thrown from their properties to make way for the Beijing Olympics, for victims of violent family planning practices and for Falun Gong practitioners who are detained and tortured for their beliefs. The film documents the high price he has paid to fight for the rights of others.

A Chinese Australian asked why there was not more coverage about lawyer Gao in the press.

New South Wales MLC, David Shoebridge, who hosted the event, announced a motion calling on Chinese authorities to release lawyer Gao, to fairly and impartially apply the rule of law in China; to repel all laws, and end all administrative practices, that discriminate against or sanction people on the basis of their religious or spiritual beliefs; and to ensure that Australia presents it’s genuine and ongoing concerns about China’s human right record to the Chinese Government on the basis of principle, using internationally accepted human rights standards, and free and separate from consideration of our trade and investment links with China. The motion was passed and will be presented to the NSW Parliament by Mr David Shoebridge next week.

For official film website see:  www.transcendingfearfilm.com

If you wish to watch the movie, you can use link below to put on your website.

Viewers will need to enter the password to watch.

http://vimeo.com/50014323

Password: bebrave

My spoken bibliography (in polish language) entitled “Polska – Australia – Solidarnosc” written by Patryk Pleskot of Polish Institute of National Remembrance was published recently in Poland  – see :
http://ipn.gov.pl/publikacje/ksiazki/polska-australia-solidarnosc.-biografia-mowiona-seweryna-ozdowskiego .

For more information in Polish language about the book and where to purchase it in Australia see the link: 2014-07-07 Pleskot – Polska-Australia-Solidarnosc – informacja po polsku

4 June 1989 was a very special day. It was a day of first free and democratic elections in Poland since WWII ended that brought an end to the Communist oppression in Poland and started dismantling of the Soviet empire. It is also a day when Chinese Communist authorities massacred hundreds of pro-democracy protesters in the Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Let’s stop and reflect today and commemorate all victims of Communist oppression.