Defending Dignity: Human Rights, Justice, and the Case Against Duterte
An in-depth and timely conversation was held with Carlos H. Conde, Senior Researcher for the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, as he explored the threats to human rights across Southeast Asia - particularly in the Philippines. As a journalist, Carlos had spent years documenting human rights abuses under the Duterte regime, including extrajudicial killings linked to the “war on drugs.” Documentation by Human Rights Watch and other rights defenders had highlighted the atrocities that compelled the International Criminal Court to investigate former President Rodrigo Duterte, leading to his arrest earlier this year.
Carlos H. Conde, Sara Kowal, and Castan Centre Deputy Director Julie Debeljak at the event. Photo by Steven Castan.
Drawing from his extensive research and field experience, Carlos discussed the broader implications of these abuses for human rights advocacy, the resilience of affected communities, and the role of international mechanisms in promoting accountability. In discussions led by Sara Kowal, Director at Eleos Justice, the conversation unpacked the political and social dynamics behind state-sponsored violence, shrinking civic space, and ongoing challenges to justice and accountability.
Carlos H. Conde and Sara Kowal in discussion. Photo by Steven Castan.
This seminar, presented in collaboration with Eleos Justice, the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, and Human Rights Watch, offered a unique opportunity to gain insight into the lived realities of those on the front lines of human rights work, and to engage in a thoughtful dialogue about paths forward in the face of rising global repression.
Carlos H. Conde and Sara Kowal speaking on stage from an audience perspective. Photo by Steven Castan.
Event Details
Date: Monday, 23 June 2025
Time: 5.30 - 6.45pm AEST (registration from 5.00pm)
Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Speakers
Carlos H. Conde, Senior Researcher, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch
Carlos H. Conde is a senior researcher at the Asia division of Human Rights Watch covering the Philippines. He has deep experience in research and advocacy on the ongoing “war on drugs” in the Philippines. He has documented extrajudicial killings of activists, journalists, legal professionals, peasant leaders, environmentalists, and Indigenous peoples, as well allegations of torture, enforced disappearances, and press freedom violations. He has written reports on death squads, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Philippines, child labor, and the impact of the anti-drug campaign on the children left behind by the victims.
Before joining Human Rights Watch, Conde worked as a journalist, reporting for The New York Times for more than a decade. He has also reported for The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, PBS Frontline, Global Post, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), the Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Times, Newsbreak, MindaNews, among other publications. He served as secretary-general of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and has been a fellow at the PCIJ. He was a Jefferson Fellow (2003) at the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii. He currently serves as a trustee of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and a member of the international advisory board of Indigenous Peoples Rights International.
Sara Kowal, Director, Eleos Justice, Monash Law
Sara Kowal is the Director of Eleos Justice at Monash Law and Vice-Chair of the Capital Punishment Justice Project. Since 2003, she has practised exclusively in criminal law and has extensive experience defending complex prosecutions. In 2018, Sara established the first Eleos Anti-Death Penalty Clinic as part of Monash Law’s clinical guarantee program. She currently serves as Deputy Co-Convenor of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) and is actively involved in several working groups of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP). Sara also sits on the Advisory Board of the Australians Against Wrongful and Arbitrary Detention Alliance (AWAADA).
