Human rights award for CDU lecturer

A Charles Darwin University law lecturer has been acknowledged for his outstanding work in the field of human rights.

Jeswynn Yogaratnam won the Fitzgerald Diversity Award at the inaugural Northern Territory Human Rights Awards, held in Darwin this week on the United Nations Day for Human Rights, December 10.

As it turned out, Mr Yogaratnam had just completed meetings at the United Nations in New York and presented a human rights academic paper at the American University DC, when informed he had won the award.

“I was stoked to hear about this,” he said.

“It is an acknowledgment and recognition of the many 'unsung and sung conspirators of rights' whom I have worked with and worked for in our journey in human rights.

“It is a collective achievement amid support, dissent, outrage and genuine concern of the 'rightscape' in Australia.”

The award recognises Mr Yogaratnam’s diverse involvement in NT community, asylum seeker, Indigenous and LGBTI human rights.

The awards are called the Fitzgeralds, in honour of former NT Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Tony Fitzgerald.