EVENTS
Understanding and responding to state hostage-taking: Harnessing civil society and NGO perspectives
This collaborative panel, co-hosted by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and Macquarie University, is designed to launch the special issue of the Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism titled 'Rethinking responses to hostage diplomacy: A collaborative approach to policy, strategy and practice.'
Guest edited by Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, this is a very special issue that brings together leading scholars and policy experts in hostage diplomacy and arbitrary detention from around the world. Authors include Dr Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, former China hostage Michael Kovrig, and former Canadian Justice Minister and Attorney General, Irwin Cotler.
This launch event features journal contributors Brandon Silver, Sophie Hunter, Dara Conduit and Kylie Moore-Gilbert. Each author will discuss the ideas presented in their paper as part of a broader conversation about how to understand and address the phenomenon of hostage diplomacy, to be followed by discussion and Q&A with the audience.
Thursday 18 June 2026
9:30 - 10.30 am AEST
CHENG LEI BOOK LAUNCH EVENT
Wednesday 18 June 2025
6:30 - 7:30 pm
The Wheeler Centre, Melbourne
AWADA launch event
ASPI is delighted to invite you to attend the launch of the Australian Wrongful and Arbitrary Detention Alliance (AWADA) via a special public event exploring the impact of hostage diplomacy on Wednesday 20 March.
The panel discussion, featuring former high-profile detainees Cheng Lei, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert and Professor Sean Turnell, will be moderated by ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi.
Hostage diplomacy is a threat to global security, human rights and the rules-based order. The arbitrary detention of citizens to punish and coerce another nation is a sinister and increasingly tempting tactic for authoritarian nations in the absence of countermeasures.
The discussion will focus on Australia’s approach to hostage diplomacy, why it is being increasingly used by authoritarian states around the world, and how multilateral coordination is needed to counter the ploy.
It will also explore the legislative reforms Australia can make to improve the way it manages cases of wrongful detention and hostage diplomacy. The panelists will draw on ongoing public cases and their own experiences to advocate for governments to include justice for victims and accountability in negotiations.
Please note this is a hybrid event with the option to attend in-person or online. For those attending in-person, light refreshments will be provided after the event.
A recording of the launch event is available here: