Ambiga Sreenevasan was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Law by her alma mater, University of Exeter, United Kingdom, on 21 July 2011.
Upon her graduation with an LLB (Hons) from the university in 1979, Ambiga was called to the English Bar at Gray’s Inn in 1980. A Member of the Malaysian Bar since 1982, she served on Bar Council from 2002 until March 2010 and held the post of the President of the Malaysian Bar for two terms, from March 2007 until March 2009.
During her tenure as the President of the Malaysian Bar, she played a significant role in establishing a panel of eminent persons, together with LAWASIA, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and Transparency International–Malaysia. The six–member panel reviewed the judicial crisis of 1988 and issued a report, which was the first of its kind in the world.
Upon her graduation with an LLB (Hons) from the university in 1979, Ambiga was called to the English Bar at Gray’s Inn in 1980. A Member of the Malaysian Bar since 1982, she served on Bar Council from 2002 until March 2010 and held the post of the President of the Malaysian Bar for two terms, from March 2007 until March 2009.
During her tenure as the President of the Malaysian Bar, she played a significant role in establishing a panel of eminent persons, together with LAWASIA, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and Transparency International–Malaysia. The six–member panel reviewed the judicial crisis of 1988 and issued a report, which was the first of its kind in the world.
She now heads BERSIH 2.0, a citizen’s movement for free and fair elections. In addition, Ambiga serves as the Chairperson of the Bar Council Committee on Orang Asli Rights and is a Director of the Securities Industry Dispute Resolution Centre. In 2009, she was one of eight recipients of the US Secretary of State’s “International Women of Courage” Award.
In her acceptance speech, she dedicated the award to the late Baharuddin Ahmad, the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia leaders now held under the Emergency Ordinance, and “the brave people of Malaysia who overcame their fear of intimidation and harassment to uphold their fundamental rights”.
Bar Council and the Malaysian Bar congratulate Ambiga Sreenevasan on being conferred the Honorary Doctorate of Law.
Please click here to read Ambiga Sreenevasan’s acceptance speech.