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International Fair Trial Day Conference and the Ebru Timtik Award Ceremony
14 June 2024, 10:00 – 17:30 PHT /16.00 – 23.30 CET/ 3pm – 10.30pm GMT
Malcolm Theater, Malcolm Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
In-person & online event
Registration: HERE
Event Overview and detailed Programme (download)
In commemoration of the annual International Fair Trial Day, we are inviting the public to the 2024 Manila Conference of the IFTD and the Ebru Timtik Awarding Ceremony on 14 June 2024, Friday, 10am to 5:30pm at the Malcolm Theater, Malcolm Hall, UP College of Law. This event is organized by the IFTD Steering Group in collaboration with the University of the Philippines College of Law, the University of the Philippines Institute of Human Rights (UP IHR), the National Union of Peoples Lawyers (NUPL), and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
This one-day conference will bring together local and international stakeholders and experts, including victims of fair trial violations or their families, to raise awareness of these human rights concerns and discuss actions to address them. An annual Award will also be presented for outstanding commitment and sacrifice in upholding fundamental values related to the right to fair trial. This Award has been named after Ebru Timtik, a lawyer from Turkey who died in August 2020 following a 238-day hunger strike in which she began to fight for the right to a fair trial.
Each year, one country with systemic violations of fair trial rights is selected, where an event and series of activities are held to mark the International Fair Trial Day (IFTD) and draw attention to the situation in that country, including concrete recommendations for reform. This 2024, the Philippines was designated as the country of focus due to systemic problems with the independence of the judiciary, a culture of impunity, and a failure to respect procedural rights for a fair trial.
The International Fair Trial Day Conference and the Ebru Timtik Award Ceremony will feature a diverse group of the Philippines-based and international panellists and moderators, including prominent representatives of international human rights oversight mechanisms, judges, lawyers, human rights activists, researchers, and academic figures. The moderators are from various international organizations forming the Steering Group of the International Fair Trial Day (IFTD) and Ebru Timtik Award. The keynote speakers and panellists will bring a wide range of expertise and experiences from different legal and human rights backgrounds, ensuring comprehensive and insightful discussions on the pressing fair trial rights related issues in the Philippines and beyond throughout the event.
Event Sessions:
- Opening Remarks and Keynote Speech (10:00 AM – 10:45 AM)
- The event will start with opening remarks from prominent figures in the legal and academic fields in the Philippines. This will be followed by a keynote speech by a prominent representative of an international oversight mechanism. The session will be moderated by a representative from the IFTD and ET Award Steering Group member.
- Session 1: Independence and Protection of Judges and Lawyers (10:45 AM – 11:45 AM)
- This session will address the challenges and measures related to the independence and protection of judges and lawyers. The panel will include representatives from the Philippines’ leading academics, civil society and judiciary circle as well as an international expert. It will moderated by a representative from the IFTD and ET Award Steering Group member.
- Session 2: Targeting of lawyers, journalists, activists, CSOs and other HRDs in the context of counter-terrorism, anti-drug and related policies (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)
- This session will explore the impact of counter-terrorism, anti-drug and related policies on various groups, including lawyers, journalists, activists, CSOs and other HRDs. A keynote speech will be given by a prominent member of a relevant international oversight mechanism, followed by insights from human rights defenders, researchers and advocates in the Philippines. The session will moderated by a representative from the IFTD and ET Award Steering Group member.
- Lunch Break (1:00 PM – 2:00 PM)
- Session 3: Arbitrary Detention, Torture, Ill-Treatment, Enforced Disappearances, and Extrajudicial Killings (2:00 PM – 3:00 PM)
- The focus of this session will be on the issues of arbitrary detention, torture, and other severe human rights violations. The panel will feature human rights defenders in the Philippines sharing their experiences and expertise. The session will moderated by a representative from the IFTD and ET Award Steering Group member.
- Session 4: Tackling Impunity: Accountability and Remedies (3:15 PM – 4:15 PM)
- This session will focus on strategies to address impunity and promote accountability and remedies for human rights violations in the Philippines. Speakers will include prominent local and international experts working on this issue in different capacities, including as a politician, advisor and CSO leader. The session will moderated by a representative from the IFTD and ET Award Steering Group member.
- Ebru Timtik Award Ceremony (4:15 PM – 5:30 PM)
- The ceremony will honor one or two individual(s) or a CSO who have made significant contributions to the fight for the right to a fair trial in the Philippines. The ceremony will include a keynote address by a prominent member of the judicial community in the Philippines as well as a message from colleagues of Ebru Timtik, an intervention by a member of the Ebru Timtik Award Selection Committee and a presentation of the 2024 Ebru Timtik Award artwork by a prominent artist. The ceremony will moderated by a representative from the IFTD and ET Award Steering Group member.