Australia’s longest-serving judge Justice Michael Kirby will be lecturing on the role of law in grave human rights abuses, and the new international system of accountability.

Kirby is a renowned figure and recently chaired the United Nation’s Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Kirby afterwards wrote a letter to Kim Jong-un about the widespread and systematic violation of human rights in North Korea. He said the UN enquiry “was to secure the testimony of people who had never been listened to before” and the results were “devastating, upsetting, unrelenting”.

Kirby has many accolades, including a number of honorary qualifications; the University of Buckingham awarded him with an honorary doctorate in 2000. He has been championed for his progressive views and has also been described by his biographer A.J. Brown as Australia’s “first, and only, true celebrity judge”.

Kirby’s special concerns included human rights, the impact of science and technology on society, and issues raised by HIV, such as sexuality and the law.
There will be a question and answer session to conclude the lecture.