World Day Against Death Penalty events
Cross-Border Defense for Persons on Death Row in the Asia Pacific
📅 14 October 2025
🕘 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM (KL/Manila Time)
📍 Co-Labs Coworking KL Sentral, Level 2, NU Sentral (Kuala Lumpur) and Online
What does it mean to defend life when restrictive laws and borders limit solidarity? In Singapore, strict regulations continue to restrict foreign counsel from criminal defence, revealing how such restrictions can potentially isolate defendants and hinder fair trial guarantees. By contrast, the case of Mary Jane Veloso from the Philippines showed how lawyers working across borders can make justice tangible through coordinated defence and advocacy. Join us as we hear directly from legal practitioners who defend life across borders and explore how regional cooperation can overcome barriers and strengthen access to justice across the Asia Pacific.
Speakers:
Justice Lex Lasry AM KC (Australia)
Edward Fitzgerald CBE KC, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers (United Kingdom)
Edre U. Olalia, President, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, Lawyer of Mary Jane Veloso (Philippines)
Zaid Malek, Director, Lawyers for Liberty (Malaysia)
Moderated by Chow Ying Ngeow, Managing Partner in Ngeow Law Practice; Deputy Convenor, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN)
5th Regional Congress on the Death Penalty - Registration is Open!
📅 7 – 9 November 2025
📍 Rissho University, Tokyo, Japan
In 2025, the ECPM team will focus on East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia, Vietnam and Singapore). The 5th Regional Congress on the death penalty will occur in Tokyo, Japan, from November 7 to 9, within the Rissho University. This Congress is organised in partnership with the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), the Center for Prisoners' Rights (CPR, a Japanese NGO specialised in prison reform), and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN).