David Mejia-Canales is a senior human rights lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, focusing on defending democratic freedoms like, the right to protest, the right to vote and the right to participate in public affairs.
Before this, David was a policy adviser in the Commonwealth Parliament working on legal system reform and on justice issues impacting First Nations people including ending deaths in custody, raising the age of criminal responsibility, protecting Country defenders and the implementation of the Optional Protocol Against Torture.
While at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, David worked with affected communities on the Stop Deaths in Custody campaign, the Closing the Gap Agreement, raising the age of criminal responsibility and better resourcing for First Nations community led interventions in the criminal legal system.
In addition to his experience with legal policy and law reform, David has worked in community development and health promotion, including HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health rights with LGBTIQ+ and First Nations communities, as well as research to better meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ refugees and people seeking asylum.
Opinion
Major flaw in new disinformation law
The Daily Telegraph 9 October 2024