Renowned lawyer and human rights activist, Asma Jahangir is the keynote speaker for the 27th LUMS Convocation Ceremony, to be held on June 17, 2015.
Ms Jahangir is an Advocate at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a Partner at AGHS Law Associates. She was elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan in 2011 and was twice elected as Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Ms Jahangir is also a Director of the AGHS Legal Aid Cell, which provides free legal assistance to the needy and was instrumental in the formation of the Punjab Women Lawyers Association in 1980 and the Women Action Forum in 1985.
She was placed under house arrest and later imprisoned for participating in the movement to restore political and fundamental rights under the military regime in 1983.
Ms Jahangir has authored two books and five papers. She has received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland; Queen’s University, Canada and Amherst College, USA.
She is the recipient of several international and national awards including the 2014 Right Livelihood Award, 2010 Freedom Award, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Ramon Magsaysay Award, 1995 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, the UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the promotion of a culture of human rights and was awarded an Officier de la Légion d'honneur by France. In 2014, she was awarded with the "Stefanus Prize", a human rights prize emphasising the freedom of religion or belief.
In 1998, Ms Jahangir was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Execution of the Commission on Human Rights and in 2004 she was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the Council of Human Rights.
She led the campaign waged by women activists against the promulgation of the controversial Hadood Ordinance and draft law on evidence. Moreover, she has defended cases of discrimination against religious minorities, women and children.
