A webinar presented by the IBA's Human Rights Institute, supported by the IBA Asia Pacific Regional Forum, the IBA Criminal Law Committee, the IBA Forum for Barristers and Advocates, the IBA Human Rights Law Committee, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and LAWASIA.

Effective legal representation in capital cases is crucial to reducing the use of the death penalty and paving the way for abolition. Recognising the urgent need to strengthen capital legal representation and reinforce broader fair trial protections in Asia, the Regional Guidelines for Lawyers Representing Individuals Facing the Death Penalty and Execution in Asia (the ‘KL Guidelines’) result from cross-border collaboration among lawyers and civil society organisations across the region in response to systemic violations in capital cases.

The KL Guidelines, which aim to reduce the use of the death penalty by improving the quality of capital defence in Asia, offer a regionally grounded framework to support defence lawyers in navigating the complexities of such cases. In doing so, they reinforce the role of legal practitioners in upholding due process, ensuring professional ethics and advancing fair trial standards in death penalty cases across the region. The KL Guidelines also highlight the role of bar associations in, inter alia, ensuring that capital defence lawyers have full and timely access to their clients and receive adequate training, resources and institutional support.

In an article for Commonwealth Lawyers Association, IBAHRI Co-Chair Mark Stephens reflected on the webinar and its framework designed to improve the quality of capital defence and safeguard fair trial rights across Asia. You can read it here.