Lawyers and journalists from Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos have just finished a three-day capacity-building training on freedom of expression in Manila.
Center for International Law, British Embassy Manila and South East Asia Media Legal Defence Network (MLDI) organized the three-day training on 14-16 March 2011 at the University of the Philippines College of Law.
The need for this seminar was raised during the 2nd Southeast Asia Media Defense Litigation Conference held in Cebu last October 27 – 29, 2009. The participants from the region noted that in some countries, journalists have been forced to flee from their native land and face persecution should they return to their native country. The conference delegates identified, among others, the need to enhance the media workers’ and local lawyers’ understanding of Freedom of Expression as a basic human right under International Law, as well as familiarize them with remedies, including legal remedies available to them outside their country.
Among the speakers at the conference were former UP College of Law deans Raul Pangalangan and Merlin M. Magallona; Dr. Jörg Menzel from Universität Bonn; Oya Arriola of the British Embassy Manila; H R Dipendra of MLDI; Centerlaw’s Joel R. Butuyan and Romel R. Bagares; UP Prof. Florin Hilbay; Ellen Tordesillas of Verafiles; and Rowena Paraan of the National Union of Journalists of The Philippines (NUJP).#
