Ambiga Sreenevasan Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Yang Berbahagia Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan DPMP
அம்பிகா சீனிவாசன்
Ambiga Sreenevasan speaks at the International Women of Courage Awards ceremony in 2009.

24th President of Malaysian Bar Council
In office March 2007 – March 2009
Deputy	Mr. Ragunath Kesavan
Preceded by	Mr. Yeo Yang Poh
Succeeded by	Mr. Ragunath Kesavan
Member of the International Commission of Jurists
Incumbent
Assumed office 2018 Serving with Chinara Aidarbekova (Kyrgyzstan), Gamal Eid (Egypt), Jamesina Essie L. King (Sierra Leone) and Michael Sfard (Israel)
President	Robert K Goldman (USA)
Chairwoman of Bersih 2.0
In office 2011 – 30 November 2013
Preceded by	none
Succeeded by	Maria Chin Abdullah
Chairperson of Bar Council Orang Asli Committee
In office 2010–2012 Co-leading with Steven Thiru on 2011/2012 tenure
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Steven Thiruneelakandan & Hon Kai Ping (Co-chair)
Independent Director of Securities Industry Dispute Resolution Centre
In office 2011–2013
Executive Committee of Women's Aid Organisation
In office 2009–2010
President of National Human Rights Society (HAKAM)
Incumbent
Assumed office 2014
Preceded by	Mr. Abdul Rashid Ismail
Member of Committee on Institutional Reforms
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 May 2018
Appointed by	Council of Elders
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad

Personal details
Born	(1956-11-13) 13 November 1956 (age 68) Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Spouse	Mr. S. Radhakrishnan (grandson of S. S. Vasan)
Alma mater	University of Exeter, England
Occupation	Lawyer
Award(s)	Darjah Dato' Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP), 2008
International Women of Courage Award, 2009
Honorary Graduate of University of Exeter, 2011–12
Honorary Doctorate in Law (LLD) of University of Exeter, 2011
Legion of Honour, 23 September 2011

Ambiga Sreenevasan with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama

Ambiga Sreenevasan (born 1956) is a well-known Malaysian lawyer. She is also a strong supporter of human rights. In 2009, she received the US International Women of Courage Award.

Ambiga was the head of the Malaysian Bar Council from 2007 to 2009. She also co-led Bersih, a group that works for fair elections. She has worked with groups that help women and protect the rights of indigenous people.

She has also helped write important papers about law, justice, and human rights. Ambiga played a big part in setting up a special group in 2008. This group looked into problems with the justice system from 1988.

In 2011, she received an honorary law degree from the University of Exeter. This was a special award for her important work.

How Ambiga Sreenevasan Became a Lawyer
Ambiga Sreenevasan's Career
Honours
- Foreign honours
See also

How Ambiga Sreenevasan Became a Lawyer

Ambiga Sreenevasan went to school at Convent Bukit Nanas in Kuala Lumpur. She was even the head student there in 1975. She studied law at the University of Exeter in England and finished in 1979.

After that, she became a lawyer in England in 1980. She worked at two law firms in London. In 1982, she became a lawyer in Malaysia.

Ambiga Sreenevasan's Career

Ambiga Sreenevasan has worked as a lawyer since March 1982. She helped start her own law firm, Sreenevasan, Advocates & Solicitors. She also served as the president of HAKAM, which is Malaysia's National Human Rights Society.

Leading the Malaysian Bar Council

In March 2007, Ambiga Sreenevasan was chosen to be the president of the Bar Council. She was the second woman ever to hold this important position. Six months after becoming president, she organized a "March for Justice."

This march asked for improvements in the justice system. It also called for an investigation into a video that seemed to show a lawyer trying to arrange judicial appointments. Her actions led to a special committee being formed to look into these issues.

Because of her efforts to fix problems, Ambiga faced some challenges. She received angry messages and protests. However, she continued her work to improve justice for everyone.

In 2008, as president, she helped create a special panel. This panel worked with other groups to review problems in the justice system from 1998. Their report was very important. It showed how organizations could investigate abuses of power.

Leading the Bersih 2.0 Rally

Ambiga Sreenevasan was the leader of Bersih 2.0. This group organized a large rally in Kuala Lumpur in July 2011. About 20,000 people attended this event. The rally focused on issues like unfair elections and corruption.

Ambiga explained that people were unhappy because earlier demands for fair elections had not been met. She said the rally showed that people from different backgrounds could work together. It also proved that many ordinary citizens cared enough to stand up for change.

Later, a newspaper published an article that wrongly accused Bersih of trying to cause trouble for the government. Ambiga and other Bersih organizers sued the newspaper. The court ruled in their favor, and the newspaper had to apologize.

In 2018, Dato Ambiga was appointed to the International Commission of Jurists. This is a global group of legal experts.

Other Groups Ambiga Sreenevasan Joined

Ambiga Sreenevasan is a member of the Malaysian Intellectual Property Association. She was also its vice president in 2002. She is part of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property.

She led Bersih 2.0, also known as the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections. This group works for free and fair elections in Malaysia. In 2015, she also led the Bersih 3.0 rally.