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 (Tamil: அம்பிகா சீனிவாசன், romanized: Ampikā cīṉivācaṉ; born in 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.

She was the president of the Malaysian Bar Council from 2007 to 2009. She also co-chaired Bersih, a group that works for free and fair elections. Ambiga has worked to protect the rights of the indigenous Orang Asli people. She helps prepare important papers on topics like the rule of law and justice.

As the former president of the Malaysian Bar, she helped create a special group in 2008. This group looked into past problems with the justice system. Their report was very important. It showed how organizations could investigate abuses of power. In July 2011, she received an honorary law degree from the University of Exeter.

Becoming a Lawyer
Ambiga's Career
Honours and Awards
- International Honours
See also

Becoming a Lawyer

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

In 1980, she became a lawyer in England. After working at two law firms in London, she returned to Malaysia. She became a lawyer in Malaysia in 1982.

Ambiga's Career

Ambiga Sreenevasan has been a practicing lawyer since March 1982. She is one of the founders of a law firm called Sreenevasan, Advocates & Solicitors. She also served as the president of Hakam, which is Malaysia's National Human Rights Society.

Leading the Malaysian Bar Council

Ambiga was elected president of the Bar Council in March 2007. She was the second woman to hold this important position. Six months after becoming president, she organized a "March for Justice." This march called for improvements in the justice system. It also asked for an investigation into a video that seemed to show a lawyer trying to influence court decisions.

Her public actions and strong efforts led to a Royal Commission being formed. This commission looked into the issues and suggested ways to fix them. Because of her work, Ambiga faced some challenges. She received messages that were not kind. However, she continued to work on important issues.

In 2008, as President of the Malaysian Bar, she helped set up a special panel. This panel worked with other international groups. They reviewed problems that happened in the justice system in 1998. The panel's report was groundbreaking. It showed how organizations could investigate power abuses.

Bersih 2.0 Rally for Fair Elections

Ambiga Sreenevasan led Bersih 2.0. This group organized a large rally in Kuala Lumpur in July 2011. About 20,000 people attended the rally. She explained that people were unhappy about issues like corruption. They also wanted institutions to be more independent.

Ambiga said that the rally showed many important things in Malaysia. It proved that people from different backgrounds could work together. It also showed that ordinary people were willing to stand up for what they believed in.

In 2012, a newspaper published an article that accused Bersih of trying to cause problems for the government. Ambiga and other Bersih organizers sued the newspaper. The court ruled in their favor. The newspaper had to pay damages and admitted the article was false. In 2018, Dato Ambiga was appointed to the International Commission of Jurists.

Other Important Roles

Ambiga 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 (AIPPI). She led Bersih 2.0, which is a citizen's movement for clean and fair elections. In 2015, she also led the Bersih 3.0 rally.