Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Friday 22 May
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
In the early hours of 29 April, the Indonesian government executed eight prisoners – including two Australians – by firing squad. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were killed despite intense diplomatic efforts, desperate legal manoeuvring and an enormous public outcry.
These executions, and the promise from Indonesia of more in the near future, have created unprecedented public interest in the death penalty. What can Australia now do to help abolish capital punishment in our region and beyond? Is a moratorium – or abolition – possible?
In a special edition of the Fifth Estate, in partnership with Reprieve Australia and its Mercy Campaign, host Sally Warhaft is joined by Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Human Rights Commission, renowned anti-death penalty jurist the Honourable Lex Lasry and Richard Bourke, Director of the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center and founder of Reprieve Australia, to discuss Australia’s role in campaigning to end the death penalty.
Featuring
Sally Warhaft
Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, the Wheeler Centre’s live series focusing on journalism, politics, media, and international relations, and The Leap Year ...
Richard Bourke
Richard Bourke is a lawyer and Director of the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, an advocacy and representation body based in New Orleans. The state of Louisiana has not executed anyone in five years, in no small part due to the efforts of the LCAC. Bourke is also the co-founder of Reprieve Australia.
Gillian Triggs
Gillian Triggs is former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, and the new Chair of Justice Connect, a non-profit dedicated to connecting people locked out of the justice system with free legal help. She is also Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Vice President of the Asian Development Bank Tribunal.
Gillian has combined an academic career with international commercial legal practice and has advised the Australian and other governments and international organisations on international legal and trade disputes. After her tenure with the HRC ended, Gillian joined Justice Connect as Chair to pursue her commitment to ensuring that all people have a fair chance to access justice, including people experiencing homelessness, elder abuse, family violence and financial exploitation. Post-HRC, Gillian is focused on helping lawyers ‘get out of the office’ and meet people who need legal help where they live. She is also the author of many books and papers on international law, including International Law, Contemporary Principles and Practices.
Gillian was Dean of the Faculty of Law and Challis Professor of International Law at the University of Sydney from 2007-12 and Director of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law from 2005-07. She is a former barrister and a Governor of the College of Law. She graduated in Law from the University of Melbourne in 1968 and gained a PhD in 1982.
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Lex Lasry
The Hon. Lex Lasry is one of Australia’s most prominent barristers and jurists, and a longtime advocate of the abolition of the death penalty.
He represented Van Nguyen, an Australian who was executed in Singapore in 2005, and has long been a vocal proponent of abolition.