Global Week Against Torture

03/22/2021 - 12/31/2021

ABOUT THIS EVENT

Lire en français / Leer en español

Welcome to our Global Week Against Torture!

Here is what to expect:

4 days of debates and workshops on torture and human rights - from 22 to 25 March.
Sessions in French, English and Spanish and in different time zones, to accomodate our global Network.
The unique chance to discuss with survivors, lawyers, activists, arnd high profile human rights experts.
A special opportunity to connect with fellow SOS-Torture Network members from all over the world and build lasting collaborations.
The occasion to raise the profile of your organisation through our communications labs and the content at your disposal on the platform.

Let's communicate together on this event, with these hashtags: #EndTorture2021 #TogetherAgainstTorture #WeekAgainstTorture

Looking forward to seeing you here very soon!

The OMCT team

SPONSORS

OUR SOS-TORTURE NETWORK

The SOS-Torture Network is at the heart of the OMCT and is the currently the most important global network striving to put an end to torture and protect human rights defenders.

At the outset, in 1985, it was composed of 48 non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Today, its 200 members work in over 90 countries all over the world.

The members are highly diverse in terms of their size, composition, resources and specific modes of action. What they have in common are their commitment to document cases of torture, help victims, seek justice, advocate legal and policy reforms and protect human rights defenders.

Here you can seen the full list of OMCT SOS-Torture Network members.

For the Global Week Against Torture, some of them sent us a brief introduction about their work:

Collectif des Associations Contre l'Impunité au Togo (CACIT), Togo

Changement Social Bénin, Bénin

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), China

Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH), Mexico

Observatoire Congolais des Droits de l'Homme (OCDH), Congo-Brazzaville

Observatory of the Penal System and Human Rights (OSPDH)

AGENDA (CET/UTC+1)

OPENING SESSION: Light after darkness: Putting the fight against torture at the centre

The inaugural session of the Global Anti-Torture Week will set out the core challenges to the anti-torture movement in the 'new normal' of a world torn by growing authoritarianism, populism, an ongoing pandemic and a vanishing commitment to multilateralism. Leading voices from our movement will distill lessons on the opportunity and centrality of the fight against torture in addressing these broader societal challenges.

(EN, ES, FR)

Room cover illustration: Rosita Raleva for Fine Acts

Join the virtual room here

Start

2:00 PM

End

3:30 PM

SPEAKERS

Ilze Brands Kehris

Jenny Piaget

Adam Bodnar

Gerald Staberock

Henri Tiphagne

Óscar Ramírez Puerta

Yared Hailemariam

Najla Talbi

Susanna Marietti

Let's network!

Join us and meet fellow anti-torture activists and human rights defenders from around the world!

For this session, please open the Networking café in the menu on the left. You will be invited to share your video and audio through your computer.* Then, use your mouse to move and meet others in the same room. We will share additional instructions at the beginning.

If you can't make this session, consider joining one of the other days. We encourage everyone to attend at least one networking session in the week.

*: This spatial networking will work for computers (Mac/PC/Linux) running the Chrome or Edge browsers. It will not work for tablets or phones.

Cover illustration: Adonis Papadopoulos for Fine Acts

Start

3:30 PM

End

4:00 PM

MOVIE STREAMING: La Asfixia (Ongoing)

Guatemala, Mexico, Spain / 2018 / 79 min.

Directed by Ana Bustamante

Spanish w/ English Subtitles

Genre: Documentary

Ana Bustamante’s mother, Rosa María, thinks Ana’s occasional asphyxia may be the result of that time she stopped breathing while in her womb on the afternoon of February 13, 1982. That was also the moment her father Emil, a political activist, was detained and disappeared by Guatemala’s military. Now a filmmaker, Ana is determined to recover her father’s memory but she is met with silence, resistance and pain. Winner of several awards, including the Ibero-American Documentary special jury prize at the Guadalajara Film Festival, and the FIPRESCI Award and Best Foreign Film Audience Award at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival (BAFICI) Bustamante’s debut documentary is a haunting and deeply personal exploration of a country that has yet to come to terms with its past.

This case is not unique. It is emblematic of a situation of widespread and persistent impunity. The lack of investigation, prosecution, and punishment of perpetrators sends a message that violence can be tolerated, and is a tacit permission for violence to be repeated. And indeed it is. Guatemala was and continues to be one of the most violent countries in Latin America and in the world. In spite of this, women survivors like Rosa María, Ana and her sister Flora, continue to look for justice. On 19 November 2020, OMCT and Guatemalan lawyer Evelyn Recinos Contreras submitted their case before the UN Human Rights Committee. Ana and her mother are also being supported by OMCT's Victims Fund.

Ana Isabel Bustamante

Ana works as an editor for films, video clips and television series. La Asfixia is her first feature film, which received three post-production awards at the Havana Festival and support for post-production by Cinergia.

It had its world premiere at the Havana festival and has been awarded the Special Jury Prize at FICG Mexico, the FIPRESCI Prize at IFF Panama and BAFICI Argentina, where it also received the Audience Award for Best Foreign Film.

Link to the movie

Start

3:30 PM

End

12:00 AM

NETWORK LAB: Human rights campaigns that win hearts and minds

How can we build public support behind advocacy goals that may be seen as “polarising” or “unpopular”? This session will explore key principles and approaches of hope-based communications on human rights that can help us build compelling narratives, build people power and achieve the change we want. Drawing on examples from a wide range of campaigns, we will explore how we can use framing and storytelling to design powerful advocacy campaigns that inspire hope, win hearts and minds and lead people to action for human rights.

This lab is particularly addressed to communication and advocacy directors of SOS-Torture Network member organisations and partners. The Lab will be presented by Fotis Filippou, an independent expert who's previously led Amnesty International campaigns for over 12 years.

(EN, ES, FR)

Cover illustration: Izabela Markova

Virtual room (join here)

Start

5:00 PM

End

6:30 PM

SPEAKERS

Fotis Filippou

NETWORK LAB: Violence against indigenous peoples today: What role can anti-torture mechanisms play?

Indigenous peoples in Latin America, as in other regions of the world, face abuse, violence and criminalisation by States and non-State actors, including in the context of extractive industries. These abuses, which are grounded in exclusion and structural racism, often go unreported and are rarely redressed through the protective reach of the anti-torture framework. The session will be co-organised with the OMCT SOS-Torture Network Working Group on Indigenous Peoples and Torture in Latin America and set out strategies to address the specificities of torture in the context of indigenous rights.

(Spanish only)

Room cover illustration: Monica Montesano

Virtual room: Join here

Start

5:00 PM

End

6:30 PM

SPEAKERS

Andrea Bolaños-Vargas

Juana Sales Morales

Lottie Cunningham

Fernando Jones Huala

Sandra Alarcón

MOVIE STREAMING: Last Chance for Justice (Ongoing)

Human rights activist Azimjan Askarov was imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 fora crime he says he did not commit. Ever since then his wife Khadicha has campaigned tirelessly for his release. Now she sees one last chance for justice in an appeal hearing at the Supreme Court. But as she prepares for the verdict, coronavirus is spreading across Kyrgyzstan, stopping Khadicha's prison visits and putting 69 year old Azimjan at risk. "Last Chance for Justice" is an extraordinary story of love, courage - and never giving up. “Last Chance for Justice” was commissioned by BBC series “Our World” and was globally broadcasted by BBC World News. UK-based audience can watch the film on the BBC iPlayer until February 2022.

Marina Shupac is an award-winning journalist, Human Rights practitioner and emerging self-shooting documentary filmmaker from Moldova. She was awarded the Senior Minority Fellowship with the UN Human Rights Office and the Sakharov Fellowship with the EU Parliament. Coming from an ethnic minority background and born in the small town Bessarabca, Marina is passionate about stories that diminish divisions between “us” and “them” and create solidarity among people.

Contact details:

marinashupac@gmail.com

https://twitter.com/MarinaShupac

Start

12:00 AM

End

1:00 AM

NETWORK LAB: Protecting children in detention from torture: best practices and current stakes

For many years, the OMCT has protected children in custody from torture through a dedicated child programme and targeted country action, while mainstreaming the needs of children into its global anti-torture work. The session will identify key lessons learnt that will be integrated into the research for a Global Guide on best practices to protect children from torture and ill-treatment. This Network lab will bring together child rights and anti-torture activists to discuss specific challenges related to the protection of children from torture, exchange views and share best practices.

(EN / ES / FR)

Cover illustration: Hanna Murajda

Start

11:30 AM

End

1:00 PM

SPEAKERS

Benoit Van Keirsbilck

Nordine Drici

Luis Pedernera

Rachel Molley

Tamara Samudio

Rowena Legaspsi

Teresa Cal Linares

Let's network!

Join us and meet fellow anti-torture activists and human rights defenders from around the world!

Cover illustration: Adonis Papadopoulos for Fine Acts

Start

1:30 PM

End

2:00 PM

PANEL: Legal and advocacy strategies for the rights of persons deprived of liberty under Covid-19

Covid-19 has both worsened the health and human rights crisis in detention and made these long-neglected issues visible. Lawyers, civil society and monitoring bodies have been compelled to adapt their role and strategies to keep protecting those most exposed to the virus and its effects, notably persons deprived of liberty, and to counter an increase in violence and abuse in detention. Members of the SOS-Torture Regional Litigators' Groups, network members and experts will discuss key challenges and innovative legal advocacy strategies. The session will seek to frame the present Covid-19 crisis as an opportunity to prompt discussions on the prison and criminal justice system that have been needed for a long time.

(EN / ES / FR)

Room cover illustration: Safwat Saleem

Start

2:00 PM

End

3:00 PM

SPEAKERS

Daniel Fink

Olga Sadovskaya

Lucas Lecour

Ghislain Koffi Nyaku

Noorzadeh Raja

Interactive Mindfulness and Self-Care Workshop (in Spanish)

Interactive Mindfulness and Self-Care Workshop (in Spanish)

In the spirit of its overall commitment to the culture of self-care and wellbeing of human rights defenders, the OMCT is offering simple, guided mindfulness exercises to a maximum of 20 participants with the aim to provide emotional and physical rest and relaxation, help release stress and balance energy. As the space available is limited, please book your spot.

This session will be conducted in Spanish only.

"Están bienvenidos al taller de autocuidado! Les invito a que vengan con ropa cómoda, traigan agua para tomar, una cobija o un mat de yoga y un cojín. Traigan colores/ crayolas/marcadores y una hoja blanca. Y si tienen a la mano algún aceite para aplicarse en la piel o una crema humectante, también! Les espero!" María Andrea García, Psicóloga- Danza terapia y Movimiento

Room cover illustration: Daniel Liévano for Fine Acts

Start

5:00 PM

End

6:30 PM

PANEL: Countering the censorship of human rights defenders through detention

This high-level panel will take stock of the increase in the criminalisation and detention of human rights defenders in many parts of the world. The panel will hear testimonies from local activists. It will further identify elements for more effective and comprehensive protection strategies of detained defenders and share lessons learnt during successful campaigns for their release.

(EN / ES / FR)

Cover illustration: Nicolae Negura

Start

5:00 PM

End

6:30 PM

SPEAKERS

Mary Lawlor

Tarja Kangaskorte

Natalia Taubina

Damián Gallardo Martínez

Mohamed Lotfy

William Nee

Maximilienne Ngo Mbe

THEATRE: Tao Po (Ongoing) - Password: Humanity101

Password: Humanity101

Tao Po’ is a monologue by award-winning theater actor and cultural activist Mae Paner also known as Juana Change. Tao Po is the result of several days of immersion trips and interviews of families and people affected by extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. It tells the untold heartbreaking stories behind the Duterte government’s “war on drugs.”

Mae Paner gives life to four characters, in four separate monologues: a photojournalist transformed by the brutality he witnesses after he is assigned to cover President Duterte's "war on drugs"; a Zumba instructor haunted by her husband's and son's ghosts, both victims of summary killings; a cop who lives the double life of law enforcer and lawless hit-man; and a young girl lighting candles in a Manila cemetery as she reminisces about acquaintances and loved ones victims of extra-judicial killings.

Tao Po is a monologue. Tao Po is a play of words. Tao Po is a human experience that wants to knock into people's hearts and ask the hard question: is there humanity left within us? It endeavors to plant the seeds of empathy to a wider audience and compel them into action through the art of performance.

Mae Paner aka Juana Change is a TV ad director, an activist, producer, author and an award-winning actress. She appeared in several TV series and movies. She was awarded Best Supporting Actress at the 2017 C1 Original Film Festival. As Juana Change, she represents different characters based on the current political climate in the Philippines. PETA, during its 50th anniversary in 2017, awarded her a citation for continuing its vision towards social justice for all and genuine change.

Monologues written by Maynard Manansala
Performance directed by Ed Lacson, Jr.

Please see "Materials" for more information about the team behind the production.

Tagalog/EN with EN subtitles

Start

12:00 AM

End

12:00 AM

Interactive Mindfulness and Self-Care Workshop (in French)

Interactive Mindfulness and Self-Care Workshop (in French)

In the spirit of its overall commitment to the culture of self-care and wellbeing of human rights defenders, the OMCT is offering simple, guided mindfulness exercises to a maximum of 20 participants with the aim to provide emotional and physical rest and relaxation, help release stress and balance energy. As the space available is limited, please book your spot.

This session will be conducted in French only.

Room cover illustration: Daniel Liévano for Fine Acts

Link

Start

8:00 AM

End

10:00 AM

Interactive Mindfulness and Self-Care Workshop (in English)

In the spirit of its overall commitment to the culture of self-care and wellbeing of human rights defenders, the OMCT is offering simple, guided mindfulness exercises to a maximum of 20 participants with the aim to provide emotional and physical rest and relaxation, help release stress and balance energy. As the space available is limited, please book your spot.

"Hello!

I am looking forward to breathing, moving and resting with you tomorrow.

The movement will be very gentle and will be chair-based, or floor-based if you prefer sitting on the floor. Please make sure that you are comfortable - so it can be nice to use cushions and blankets for support (for example, under your feet if you're sitting on a chair and under the knees if you're sitting on the floor). We will end the session with some deep relaxation which is very nice done lying down, if you have space to do that (otherwise you can remain seated).

Please also have water or a drink next to you so that you can stay hydrated.

Feel free to light a candle, some incense, or anything else that makes you feel cosy and comfortable!

See you soon!" Jilna

This session will be conducted in English only.

Room cover illustration: Daniel Liévano for Fine Acts

Link

Start

8:45 AM

End

9:45 AM

WORKSHOP: Open-Source Investigation (OSI): An introduction with Nick Waters from Bellingcat

Open-source investigation (OSI) techniques have become increasingly important to document human rights violations. The session is organised in collaboration with Bellingcat, the famed group of investigative journalists who have a unique expertise in reliable online and open-source investigations. The aim is to show how OSI can be used to uncover abuses and learn how to use geolocation to verify videos and photos.

(English only)

Room cover illustration: Maaike Bakker for Fine Acts

Link

Start

11:00 AM

End

1:00 PM

SPEAKERS

Nick Waters

NETWORK LAB: Migration and torture in Africa: Missing pieces in the international framework

Despite being entitled to protection under international human rights law, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are frequently exposed to multiple rights abuses, notably torture and other ill-treatment, during their whole journey. The refugee legal framework alone has proven to be insufficient to address this situation. Participants will discuss protection gaps and ways to better protect people on the move, including the most vulnerable, from torture across the migration route.

This session is developed jointly by the OMCT and the members of its regional (Africa) Network working group on Migration and Torture.

(FR / EN)

Room cover illustration: Andrius Banelis

Join the session

Start

11:30 AM

End

1:00 PM

SPEAKERS

Maya Sahli-Fadel

Abdul Aziz Muhamat

Yahaya Badamassi

Esther Nabwire Waswa

Maite Parejo

Ulrich Stege

Moustapha Kémal Kebe

PANEL: Addressing police brutality as a form of torture

Police brutality against demonstrators, minorities, the poor and the marginalised has sharply spiked across the world in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Activists and experts from the SOS-Torture Network will discuss the global scope of this problem, which is often neglected and rarely recognised or sanctioned as a form of torture, and examine the growing use of crowd control weapons and their serious impact on health. Participants will share lessons learnt on the importance of monitoring, litigation and advocacy to bring justice to the victims and to promote a culture shift from police as a means to control to a police corps that is at the service of society.

(EN / ES / FR)

Cover illustration: Lorenzo Miola

Start

2:00 PM

End

3:30 PM

SPEAKERS

Nils Melzer

Michael Hamilton

Kerry McLean

Elsy Chemurgor Sainna

Rohini Haar

Let's network!

Join us and meet fellow anti-torture activists and human rights defenders from around the world!

Cover illustration: Adonis Papadopoulos for Fine Acts

Join us

Start

3:30 PM

End

4:00 PM

PANEL: Speaking torture and terrorism

The fight against terrorism has created one of the most toxic environments for the protection from torture. This public panel discussion will discuss civil society strategies to build a torture free response to terrorism. It will question the erroneous arguments of the supposed utility of torture (‘torture works’) and discuss how counter-terrorism policies that rely on torture actually increase violent extremism and radicalisation.

The session will be organised in partnership with the SOS-Torture Network working group on Torture and Terrorism.

(EN/FR)

Room cover illustration: Nikoleta Nosovska

Link to the session

Start

4:00 PM

End

5:00 PM

SPEAKERS

Sevan Doraisamy

Mark Fallon

Rim Ben Ismail

Efrat Bergman-Sapir

PANEL: Introducing new guidelines for non-coercive interviews by law enforcement

This session will provide an opportunity to learn firsthand from the drafters of a new protocol on non-coercive interviewing and legal safeguards in detention. The draft protocol, spearheaded by the APT and the Washington College of Law and developed jointly with security officials, challenges common beliefs on interrogations, focusing instead on truth finding and investigative safeguards. The protocol is expected to be finalised in the course of 2021.

Co-organized with the Association for the Prevention of Torture

(English only)

Room cover illustration: Nikoleta Nosovska

Join the session

Start

5:00 PM

End

6:00 PM

SPEAKERS

Alexis Comninos

Juan Mendez

Barbara Bernath

Lilian Stein

Solomon Arase

Interactive Mindfulness and Self-Care Workshop (in English)

"Hello!

I am looking forward to breathing, moving and resting with you tomorrow.

The movement will be very gentle and will be chair-based, or floor based  if you prefer sitting on the floor. Please make sure that you are  comfortable - so it can be nice to use cushions and blankets for support  (for example, under your feet if you're sitting on a chair and under the  knees if you're sitting on the floor). We will end the session with some  deep relaxation which is very nice done lying down, if you have space to  do that (otherwise you can remain seated).

Please also have water or a drink next to you so that you can stay  hydrated.

Feel free to light a candle, some incense, or anything else that makes  you feel cosy and comfortable!

See you soon!" Jilna

Room cover illustration: Daniel Liévano for Fine Acts

Start

8:45 AM

End

9:45 AM

NETWORK LAB: Human rights campaigns that win hearts and minds

Start

11:30 AM

End

1:00 PM

SPEAKERS

Fotis Filippou

Let's network!

Join us and meet fellow anti-torture activists and human rights defenders from around the world!

Cover illustration: Adonis Papadopoulos for Fine Acts

Start

1:30 PM

End

2:00 PM

CLOSING SESSION: ‘Setting the stage for the future’ – towards a stronger global movement against torture

The closing session of the Global Anti-Torture Week will discuss key takeaways for an ambitious, forward looking agenda and strategy for the OMCT and the SOS-Torture Network. During the discussions, we will hear from members in different regions about ways to build a stronger and more resilient anti-torture movement.

(EN/ES/FR)

Cover illustration: Ivan Kashlakov

Start

2:00 PM

End

3:30 PM

SPEAKERS

Nils Melzer

Heidi Hautala

Hina Jilani

Mokhtar Trifi

Henri Tiphagne

Claudia Samayoa

Aminata Dieye

Yves Berthelot

Jahel Quiroga Carrillo

Stephanie Brewer

No activities available

SPEAKERS

Speaker

Ilze Brands Kehris

Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights @ United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Ilze Brands Kehris assumed her functions as Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights on 14 January 2020, heading the UN Human Rights Office in New York. Ms. Brands Kehris combines extensive expertise in political science, conflict prevention and human rights, with a specialisation in minority rights, and long-standing experience in intergovernmental fora and with civil society organisations.

From 2017 to 2019, Ms. Brands Kehris served as independent Expert Member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the treaty body monitoring the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Between 2016 and 2019, she served as a senior research fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund University, in Sweden.

She has previously held several leadership positions in national and regional level human rights organisations, including as Member and Chairperson of the Management Board of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency. Ms. Brands Kehris also held the positions as Director of the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, first Vice-President and Member of the Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and Member of the Management Board and Vice-Chairperson of the Executive Board of the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. She also served as Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights.

Nils Melzer

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Prof. Nils Melzer is the Human Rights Chair of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. He is also Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow. On 1 November 2016, he took up the function of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Prof. Melzer has served for 12 years with the International Committee of the Red Cross as a Legal Adviser, Delegate and Deputy Head of Delegation in various zones of conflict and violence. After leaving the ICRC in 2011, he held academic positions as Research Director of the Swiss Competence Centre on Human Rights (University of Zürich), as Swiss Chair for International Humanitarian Law (Geneva Academy) and as Senior Fellow for Emerging Security Challenges (Geneva Centre for Security Policy), and has represented civil society in the Steering Committee of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers.

In the course of his career, Prof. Melzer has also served as Senior Security Policy Adviser to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, has carried out advisory mandates for influential institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, and has regularly been invited to provide expert testimonies, including to the UN First Committee, the UN CCW, the UNSG Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, and various Parliamentary Commissions of the European Union, Germany and Switzerland.

Mary Lawlor

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders

Ms. Mary Lawlor is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders since 1 May 2020. She was born and educated in Ireland and is an Adjunct Professor of Business and Human Rights in the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), School of Business, Trinity College Dublin. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Business as well as of the Centre for Ethics in Public Life, School of Philosophy, University College Dublin. Ms. Lawlor has worked extensively with and on the situation of human rights defenders. She was the founder and director of Front Line Defenders (2001-2016) and Director of the Irish Section of Amnesty International (1988 to 2000).

Heidi Hautala

Vice-President @ European Parliament

Heidi Hautala is Vice-President of the European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament in the Greens/EFA group and former Minister for International Development and State Ownership Steering in Finland. She was born in 1955 in Oulu, Finland, and has a master's degree in agriculture and forestry. She was elected as a Vice-President of the European Parliament in October 2017 and continues in the office. Heidi serves on the Committee on International Trade, the Subcommittee on Human Rights and as a substitute on the Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament. In 2017 Heidi established a Working Group on Responsible Business Conduct in the European Parliament.

Jenny Piaget

Head Human Rights Diplomacy, State Secretariat @ Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA

Juan Mendez

Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment

Former UN Special Rapporteur on torture (2010-2016), co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Principles. He is a Professor of Human Rights Law in Residence at the American University – Washington College of Law, where he is Faculty Director of the Anti-Torture Initiative.

Mark Fallon

National security and counterterrorism expert

Mark Fallon is a fierce champion for justice and the rule of law. He has been involved in the most significant terrorism investigations in U.S. history, including Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman (the ‘Blind Sheikh’), the attack on the USS Cole (DDG-67). Following the September 11th attacks he was appointed the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Pentagon task force established to bring terrorists to justice before military commissions. His government service spanned more than three decades, including serving as the NCIS Deputy Assistant Director for Counterterrorism and Chief of Counterintelligence Operations for the Europe, Africa and Middle East Division. He is Chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) IMPACT Section and has been appointed to a Steering Committee of Experts developing a Universal Principles for human-rights compliant, lawful and effective questioning for the United Nations. Mark is on the Advisory Council of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) at the University of Pennsylvania Cary Law School, and a Visiting Scholar at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, focusing on systemic reform within investigative practices and effective questioning, where he co-founded Project Aletheia. He is the author of “Unjustifiable Means” (ReganArts 2017) and co-editor of “Interrogation and Torture” (OUP 2020).

Adam Bodnar

Lawyer and Polish Ombudsman for Citizen Rights

Hina Jilani

Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and President @ OMCT

OMCT’s President since 2016, Hina Jilani is advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan since 1992 and a leading human rights and women’s rights activist. She has, among other, founded the country’s first all-women law firm, worked as UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders and is since 2013 a member of The Elders.

Mokhtar Trifi

OMCT Vice-President and former Chair @ Tunisian Human Rights League 2015 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Former president of the Tunisian Human Rights League, an organisation that won the Nobel Peace Prize, Mokhtar Trifi is a prominent Tunisian lawyer. He played a key role in the democratic transition of his country and was ordained Commander of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia in 2018

Luis Pedernera

Chairperson @ United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child

Luis Pedernera is currently the chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Chairperson of the Meeting of Chairpersons of Human Rights Treaty Bodies. He is also a consultant on children's rights issues for various public and private entities and United Nations agencies and national human rights institutions. He has been a guest lecturer on children's rights at various universities for years; member of the boards of Directors of the International Bureau for Children's Rights, Canada and of the African Child Policy Forum. He is a member of the Academic Committee of the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Juvenile Justice of the University of Geneva and of the Institut de Droit de l'Enfant, Switzerland; and member of the Executive Committee of the International Human Rights Network, Geneva Switzerland. He has extensive experience in monitoring adolescent criminal justice systems, has visited and coordinated taskforces for the and coordinated working teams for the inspection of children's detention centres in Uruguay and other countries, and works specifically on the Uruguay and other countries, and works specifically on the fight against torture.

Maya Sahli-Fadel

Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrant in Africa

Ms Sahli-Fadel has been teaching law at the Law Faculty of the University of Algiers 1 since 1981, and at the Diplomatic Institute of International relations (IDRI) and at the National School of Magistrates (ENM) since 2000. She had been a lawyer at the Bar of Algiers from 1987 to 1994. She has been a member of the African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples since 2011. In this capacity, she is the African Union Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, and a member of the Working Group on Death Penalty and the Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Between 2008 and 2014, Ms Sahli-Fadel was a member of the United Nations Working and Expert Group on People of African Descent.

Gerald Staberock

Secretary General @ OMCT

M. Staberock is Secretary General of the OMCT since 2011. He previously was the head of several international programmes at the International Commission of Jurists, as the Director of the Centre for the independance of judges and lawyers, and the Director of the Programme on global security and the rule of law. He particularly coordinated the most complete global study on the effects of counterterrorism on human rights and the rule of law by a committee of lawyers. At the OSCE, he contributed to the fight against torture and to the strenghtening of judicial systems, in particular the legal and penitentiary reforms in Eastern Europe and former USSR.

Michael Hamilton

Chair @ ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly & Senior Lecturer @ University of East Anglia

Michael Hamilton is an Associate Professor of Public Protest Law at the University of East Anglia, a recurrent Visiting Professor at the Legal Studies Department, Central European University and secretary of the OSCE-ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly. Previously, he was Co-Director of the Transitional Justice Institute at the University of Ulster. His research and teaching focuses primarily on the legal protection of the right of peaceful assembly. In particular, he has examined the role of a human rights framework in helping resolve disputes concerning public processions in Northern Ireland (where he was human rights advisor to the Strategic Review of Parading).

Ana Racu

Member of the United Nations Committee Against Torture

Ana Racu is a current Member of UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT). Before joining the UNCAT, she was a Member of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CTP) of Republic of Moldova.She previously worked at the Council of Europe (CoE) where she monitored places of detention and at UNDP. Shehas also worked on the rights of suspects, offenders and prisoners in the context for the broader criminal justice at the Institute for Penal Reform. In addition, she served as contact person for different human rights Evaluation and Monitoring missions within thee Moldovan prison system, including international projects on prison and criminal justice reform. She holds a Law Degree with a specialisation is Criminal Law and Procedure.

Daniel Fink

Member @ UN Subcomittee on Prevention of Torture

Daniel Fink is one of the 25 members of the SPT. After two years as head of the regional team for Europe, he is now a Vice-Chairperson in charge of external relations. He started his career as a delegate at the International Committee of the Red Cross with missions in the Middle East and in Africa. Today he is a lecturer at the University of Lucerne (Quantitative approaches of crime policies) and is an associate member at the University of Lausanne with research activities in the field of the pandemic COVID-19 and criminal justice.

Olga Sadovskaya

Deputy Director @ Commitee Against Torture (CAT), Russia

Olga Sadovskaya is the Head of the International Legal Protection Department of the Committee Against Torture, she has been a member of this organisation since 2003. Olga Sadovskaya is a law graduate of Nizhny Novgorod State University and Amsterdam University. Specializing in International Law, she has a special interest in the law and practice of the European Court of Human Rights, where she has litigated many cases. Olga Sadovskaya is an author of training seminars on the standards of the European Court of Human Rights for lawyers, law enforcement officers and prosecutorial officials.

Henri Tiphagne

Founder and Executive Director @ People’s Watch, India

Henri Tiphagne is founder and Executive Director of People’s Watch, an Indian non-governmental organisation. He is a lawyer in the Madurai High Court and a leading human rights activist, recipient among other of the 2016 Amnesty International Human Rights Award.

Nick Waters

Senior Investigator @ Bellingcat

Nick Waters is a senior investigator for Bellingcat with previous experience in the military, cyber threat intelligence and an MA in conflict, security and development from King’s College London. His work at Bellingcat has focused on the application of open source techniques to the investigation of conflict, including the use of drones by sub-state actors, the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and the use of violence at the borders of the EU. His current area of interest is the systematic application of these techniques to track conflicts world-wide to improve international accountability.

Óscar Ramírez Puerta

Vice-President @ Comité de Solidaridad con Presos Políticos (FCSPP)

Lawyer coordinating the prison area of the Comité de Solidaridad con Presos Políticos, recently appointed as FCSPP's Vicepresident. Member of the campaign Defending freedom, everyone's business (Defender la Libertad, asunto de todxs). I am also the Secretary of the Colombian Coalition against Torture, which includes several SOS-Torture network members. I have been working for over 5 years to defend the rights of those deprived of liberty, the right to protest and the denunciation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Fotis Filippou

Campaign strategist @ Mobilisation Lab

Fotis Filippou is a campaign strategist, trainer and facilitator. Fotis has for over 12 years led Amnesty International campaigns in areas such as migration, anti-discrimination, gender equality and freedom of expression, in his latest role as Campaigns Director for Europe. In 2020 Fotis joined Mobilisation Lab, where he led the organisation’s Learning Experiences program and for the last two years he has been working with organisations and activists around the world on campaign and communication strategies. Fotis is based in Madrid, Spain.

Tarja Kangaskorte

Director of the Unit For Human Rights Policy @ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland

Ms. Tarja Kangaskorte is Director of the Unit For Human Rights Policy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since 2019. She joined the Ministry in 2002 and has served abroad in the Embassies of Finland in Vienna (2003-07), Bangkok (2007-2010) and most recently in Beijing (2015-19). At the Ministry Ms. Kangaskorte has served e.g. as Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Team Leader for Southeast Asia and Oceania, and Director of the Diplomatic Training Course. She has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Tampere.

Barbara Bernath

Secretary General @ Association for the Prevention of Torture

Barbara Bernath is the Secretary General of the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT). A Swiss/French national, Barbara Bernath holds a Master's Degree in international law from the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID). Before joining the APT, she worked as a Delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross and held several posts in the human rights field including with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Abdul Aziz Muhamat

Activist and 2019 Martin Ennals Award laureate, Sudan

Aziz advocates for the rights of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants in detention, community detention and post resettlement. Beginning this work from within the Australian offshore immigration system on Manus Island, he has engaged in peaceful protest and campaigning, seeking to give visibility and a voice to those detained in such circumstances, and to defend their human rights.

Claudia Samayoa

Founder and Chair of the Board @ UDEFEGUA, Guatemala

Founder and Chair of the Board of the Unidad de Protección de Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos Guatemala (UDEFEGUA), Claudia Virginia Samayoa is a philosopher who’s dedicated her life to the defence of human rights in Guatemala and beyond.

Aminata Dieye

Human rights activist and education specialist @ Amnesty Senegal

A human rights activist and education specialist, Aminata Dieye works for Amnesty Senegal and is a member of non-governmental organisation Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO).

Yves Berthelot

Former UN Under-Secretary General and member of the Executive Council @ OMCT

Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Knight of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic, Yves Berthelot is a statistician economist with extensive working experience in both the inter-governmental and non-governmental sectors

Rim Ben Ismail

President and Founder @ Psychologues du Monde – Tunisie (PDM-T)

Rim Ben Ismail is a university teacher, clinical psychologist, founding president of Psychologues du Monde Tunisie. Rim Ben Ismail has been providing psychological support to victims of torture and ill-treatment since 2012 in Tunisia. She is interested as a researcher in questions relating to terrorism and the factors leading to violence. Recognizing the importance of the psychological impact of trauma on human rights defenders, she is engaged with Groupworks Int in psychological supervision and practice analysis programs in several countries.

Efrat Bergman-Sapir

Head of the Legal Department @ PCATI, Israel

Att. Bergman-Sapir is the Director of Legal Department of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), a role which she took in September 2014. Before joining PCATI she was a Legal Adviser with the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories for eight years, where she advocated on behalf of Palestinian detainees and asylum seekers held in Israeli prisons. She has additionally worked as a teaching fellow at the Program of Asian Studies for law students at Bar-Ilan University, and with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). Bergman-Sapir holds an LLB and a BA in International Relations, both from the Hebrew University. She is a member of the Comptroller Committee of Akevot – Institute for Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Research.

Yahaya Badamassi

Alternative Espaces Citoyens, Niger

Yahaya Badamassi, is a Sociologist and Civil Society Actor in Niger. He is currently the regional coordinator of Alternative Espace Citoyens (AEC) in the Zinder region. Since 2015 he has been involved in the fight to safeguard the rights of migrants in Niger. In December 2019 he integrated the Migration and torture working group in Africa newly established by OMCT. Since 2017 he has been preparing a doctorate in sociology at University Ouagadougou 1 Joseph Ki-Zerbo (Burkina Faso)

Kerry McLean

International human rights lawyer @ International Association of Democratic Lawyers

Kerry McLean is an international human rights lawyer and international development consultant. Over the past 17 years she has lived in Africa, Europe and Asia, working with local and international organizations . Ms. McLean has engaged in significant United Nations advocacy, including litigation with treaty monitoring bodies, writing shadow reports concerning compliance with CERD, CEDAW and CAT, UPR advocacy and other Human Rights Council advocacy. Ms. McLean has served as an election observer in Cambodia, Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador and Abkhazia. She has also served as a trial observer in Turkey for trials involving persecuted lawyers and human rights defenders. She has provided trainings on and delivered lectures on international human rights in the US and other parts of the world.

Jahel Quiroga Carrillo

Director @ REINICIAR, Colombia

Director since 1993 of the Corporation for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights REINICIAR, a non-governmental human rights organisation based in Bogota, Colombia, which is dedicated to training in human rights and international humanitarian law, comprehensive assistance to victims and national and international advocacy.

Elsy Chemurgor Sainna

Deputy Executive Director @ ICJ Kenya

Elsy is currently the Acting Executive Director of the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya). She is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She possesses extensive knowledge and expertise in public international law, human rights, gender studies, constitutional, policy, and legal reform. Her work experiences have included legal research, writing on comparative jurisprudence, and advocacy initiatives geared towards improving the rule of law, human rights, governance systems, and the administration of justice in Kenya and the region.

Lucas Lecour

Lawyer and President @ Xumek, Argentina

Lucas Lecour is a lawyer and President of Human Rights Association “Xumek”, Argentina. Magister in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences, University of Barcelona (Spain). Human rights specialist – American University, College of Law (USA).

Sopheap Chak

Executive Director @ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

Sopheap Chak is the Executive Director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), a human rights organization working for the promotion and protection of political and civil rights in Cambodia. As one of the country's most prominent human rights advocates, Sopheap's work has been recognized by the former US President Barack Obama. She is a recipient of the Indian-ASEAN Youth Award (Young Women Achiever Category) and Franco-German Prize for Human Rights the Rule of Law. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Peace Studies from the International University of Japan. Sopheap is also a human rights blogger

Esther Nabwire Waswa

Head of Program @ African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV)

Esther Nabwire Waswa is a human rights activist working as the Head of Programs at the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV) in Kampala, Uganda. She is passionate about advocating for the rights of the marginalized. She currently heads a team of 30 multidisciplinary professionals ranging from medical doctors, clinicians, nurses, physiotherapists lawyers, psychologists, social workers among others working towards holistically rehabilitating survivors of torture. She is a member of the Migration and torture working group established by OMCT.

Natalia Taubina

Director @ Public Verdict Foundation, Russia

Ms. Taubina has been working in the field of human rights since 1992. From the very beginning she was involved in the work of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights, since 1997 to 2011 she has been a director of the Foundation for Civil Society and since 2004 is a Director of the Public Verdict Foundation. The area of Ms. Taubina’s expertise is international human rights standards and mechanisms, human rights in the work of law enforcement bodies, including torture prevention, development of civil society organizations, NGO management, and evaluation.

Yared Hailemariam

Director, Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) and Board Chair @ AHRE

Yared Hailemariam is an Ethiopian human rights defender (HRD), and the Executive Director of the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC), a non-governmental and non-partisan organisation based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia founded by local human Rights CSOs and HRDs. He served as a lead investigator at the Ethiopia Human Rights Council (HRCO) for seven years before being forced into exile in the aftermath of the heavily contested 2005 election in the country. And he led also Europe based CSO, the Association of Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE), for 5 years since 2015.

Maite Parejo

Member @ Consultative Council of the National Prevention Mecanism

Maite Parejo Sousa is a lawyer, member of the Madrid Bar Association, and, former vice president of the Spanish Association of Human Rights (APDHE).She is a member of the Migration and torture working group established by OMCT. She has focused in Criminal Law, International Criminal Law, universal jurisdiction and Human Rights. After concluding her degree at the University of Seville, she completed her academic training in Cambridge. She holds a DEA from the Complutense University of Madrid, where she specialized in International Criminal Law, with a final research paper consider the aims of the penalties imposed against those held responsible of international crimes. She has been a lawyer, exercising the private and popular accusation in the Spanish National Court, in the Tibetan Case. She has also worked in bringing cases before the European Court of Human Rights.

Juana Sales Morales

President @ Tz'ununija', Guatemala

Historian and founder of the Indigenous Women's Movement Tz'ununija'/IXTZUNUN in 2007. The Movement arose with the objective of "articulating and strengthening women's organisations for their political positioning from the vision of indigenous women, both in public agendas and in political and social spaces at national and international level, as well as being a reference point for consultation and proposals related to the situation and condition of indigenous women". It currently brings together more than 80 indigenous women's organisations, located in the departments of: San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, Sololá, El Quiché, Chimaltenango, Alta Verapaz, Izabal, Baja Verapaz, Santa Rosa, Totonicapán and Guatemala

Najla Talbi

Director of SANAD @ OMCT Tunisia

Najla Talbi joined the team at the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) in Tunisia in March 2014. After having served as legal coordinator at the counselling centre SANAD in Kef for more than three years, she took on the overall coordination of the OMCT’s direct assistance programme SANAD in June 2017. Previously, Najla served as the regional coordinator of the Association of Tunisian Women for Development Research (AFTURD). She also worked in the social and legal sector in Italy offering counselling and assistance to immigrants. Najla holds a Master’s degree in law with a specialization in private law from the University of Law and Economic and Political Science in Sousse.

Rachel Molley

Head of Protection Department @ CACIT Togo

Lawyer and currently head of the Protection Department at CACIT (Collectif des Associations Contre l'Impunité au Togo). She is the coordinator of the Child Protection against Torture Project with OMCT in Togo.

Rohini Haar

Expert in health and human rights and adjunct professor at UC Berkeley’s School of Law

Dr. Haar is an emergency physician with expertise in health and human rights. She is particularly interested in developing strong research methodology in fragile contexts. Her work focuses on the protection of human rights in times of complex humanitarian crisis and conflict. She is adjunct professor at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, research fellow at the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley’s School of Law and works as an ER doctor in Oakland, California.

Lottie Cunningham

Lawyer @ Miskito, Nicaragua

Lottie Cunningham Wren is a lawyer for the Miskito indigenous group defending the land and resource rights of indigenous peoples in Nicaragua. She has been instrumental in securing legal protection mechanisms, such as the process of demarcation and titling of indigenous lands in Nicaragua, of which she has been an initiator. She is the founder of the Centre for Justice and Human Rights of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. In 2020 she received the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", for her work in defence of the rights of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples to their land.

Tamara Samudio

Member @ Servicio Paz y Justicia (SERPAJ), Uruguay

Tamara Samudio has a degree in Political Science from the University of the Republic of Uruguay, and completed a specialization diploma in Sociodemographic Analysis at the same university. She has been a member of Servicio Paz y Justicia Uruguay since 2013, conducting research and workshops on institutional violence and police violence, as well as monitoring visits to the adult and adolescent incarceration system.

Ghislain Koffi Nyaku

Executive Director @ CACIT, Togo

Lawyer, holder of a master's degree in international and European fundamental rights law, is the executive director of the Collectif des Associations Contre l'Impunité au Togo (CACIT), a member organization of the SOS Torture network. He has a strong expertise in strategic litigation before national courts and the Economic Community of West African States Court of Justice. His organisation has been committed since 2005 to legal and judicial assistance for victims of human rights violations, as well as national and international advocacy/lobbying.

Rowena Legaspsi

Executive Director @ Children's Legal Rights and Development Center, Philippines

Rowena Legaspi is Executive Director of the Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center (CLRDC), Inc., an NGO based in the Philippines that promotes the rights, interests, and welfare of children deprived of liberty through direct legal and psycho-social interventions, capacity building, and policy reform advocacy. Rowena Legaspi has written several research on human rights in the legal framework, among which was a “Primer on Torture” in the context of children’s rights, published in 2012 by her organization CLRDC through the legal team that she convened. Her latest research on violence against children in the criminal justice entitled: “Legal Implementation: The missing piece of the puzzle in safeguarding children from violence in the Philippines” was published in 2019.

Prachi Lohia

Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM)

Damián Gallardo Martínez

Ayuuk indigenous human rights defender and teacher from Oaxaca, Mexico

Damián Gallardo Martínez is a Ayuuk indigenous human rights defender and a teacher from Oaxaca state in Mexico. He defends in particular the rights of indigenous communities and the right to education in the Mixe and Zapoteca regions of the Oaxaca Hills. As a result of his human rights work, he was arbitrarily detained from May 2013 to December 2018, during which time he was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. Following his release from prison, Damian has been very vocal advocating for the release of other imprisoned defenders in Mexico and seeking justice for his own case, which was submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture in 2019.

Mohamed Lotfy

Executive Director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF)

Mohamed Lotfy is the Executive Director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), a leading Egyptian organization defending human rights. It gained credibility through its courageous work on a range of issues such as freedom of expression to minorities and refugee rights. Its campaign “Stop Enforced Disappearances” has been at the forefront of efforts to defend rule of law. He trained hundreds of activists on documentation of rights violations, thus spreading the culture of human rights across Egypt. At Amnesty International, he worked on police and military violations, including in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising. He also studied violations against slum dwellers such as forced evictions. He started his career at the World Organization against Torture and the International Commission of Jurists. He holds a Master’s degree in European studies and a License in Political Sciences, from the Geneva University, Switzerland.

Teresa Cal Linares

Consultant

PhD Teresa Cal has 15 years of experience managing programs and projects on international relations, human rights, advocacy and campaigning. Her research work has focused on cultural diversity and equity. As for her academic background, it includes studies in Political Sciences, History, Philosophy and Sociology.

Fernando Jones Huala

Land and cultural rights defender and Mapuche leader

Defender of territorial, cultural and spiritual rights of the Mapuche people. Politically persecuted by the Argentinean and Chilean state.

Stephanie Brewer

Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights @ WOLA

Stephanie Brewer is the Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights at WOLA. She advocates for policy improvements on both sides of the border to protect human rights and support the rule of law in Mexico, with a focus on public security, criminal justice, protection of migrant rights, and the prevention and punishment of torture, enforced disappearance, and other serious human rights violations.

Before arriving at WOLA, Brewer worked in Mexico for over 13 years at the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center (Center Prodh), including more than 11 years as Coordinator of its International Department.

She is a member of the General Assembly of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

Sandra Alarcón

Advocacy Officer @ Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, Mexico

Sandra Alarcón is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, with experience in criminal and international law. She was a lawyer at the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Centre and for the last five years has worked as a collaborator in the area of international advocacy at the Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre of La Montaña, an organisation responsible for the promotion and defence of the human rights of the indigenous population of the State of Guerrero.

William Nee

Research and Advocacy Coordinator @ Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD)

William Nee is the Research and Advocacy Coordinator at Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), where he carries out a wide array of research documenting the strategies and tactics that are used to narrow the space for human rights defenders in China. William previously worked at Amnesty International as a China Researcher, focusing on freedom of expression and censorship, civil society, the death penalty and criminal justice issues, and business and human rights in China. William served as Development Director at China Labour Bulletin, where he worked to help support China's labour movement.

Susanna Marietti

National Coordinator @ Antigone, Italy

Susanna is the executive director of the Italian association Antigone, dealing with the promotion of human rights in criminal justice system. Her publications include books and articles on penal and prison issues as well as on contemporary philosophical topics. She runs a blog on criminal justice hosted by the Italian newspaper “Il Fatto Quotidiano”. Together with Patrizio Gonnella, she authors and hosts the weekly Italian radio program on prison matters “Jailhouse Rock”. Susanna is the president of the sports club “Atletico Diritti”, which involves detained and migrant athletes.

Lilian Stein

Professor of Psychology

Maximilienne Ngo Mbe

Executive Director @ Network of Human Rights Defenders of Central Africa (REDHAC)

Maximilienne Ngo Mbe is the Executive Director of the Cameroon-based Network of Human Rights Defenders of Central Africa (REDHAC). She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Pan African Network of Human Rights Defenders; the Coalition for an African Court for efficient Human and Peoples Rights; the Working Group of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) on Women Defenders; the Study Group of the ACHPR on Freedom of Association and Assembly; the Platform for Temporary Relocation of defenders at risk set up by the European Commission; a consultant to the African Union on issues of democracy, elections, and governance.

Solomon Arase

Former Inspector General of Police in Nigeria

Ulrich Stege

Faculty member @ University College of Turin

Stege is an International University College of Turin (IUC), Faculty Member and Director of the IUC Clinical Legal Education Program. In 2017-2018, he was a Lecturer at the University of Pretoria Law Clinic (South Africa). He studied law in Germany, France, and Belgium. In addition to his role at the IUC, he is a practicing lawyer and member of the Italian and German bars. He is member of the Italian Association for Juridical Studies on Immigration (ASGI). Furthermore, he is a founding member and Executive Secretary of the European Network for Clinical Education (ENCLE), a Steering Committee member of the Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE), a member of the Italian Law Clinic Network and the Migration Law Network (Germany).

Noorzadeh Raja

Team Lead, Policy and Advocacy @ Justice Project Pakistan

Moustapha Kémal Kebe

Responsible of Migration programme @ Réseau Migration et Développement (REMIDEV)

Moustapha Kemal Kebe is the Project Manager for the Senegalese NGO REMIDEV (Réseau Migration Développement) and the Loujna-Tounkaranké Collective for the Defense of the Rights of Migrants in the Maghreb and West Africa. Through his work he observes the impacts of migration and the barriers thereto on local communities. He speaks of thousands of young Senegalese who face a precarious future. He holds a master’s in international Cooperation and Multilingual Communication from Stendhal Grenoble University. He is a member of the Migration and torture working group established by OMCT.

Moderators

Benoit Van Keirsbilck

Member @ UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

Benoit Van Keirsbilck is the Director of the Belgian section of Defence for Children – International (DCI). He is Chief Editor of the Journal of Children’s Law (Belgium) and member of the Advisory board of the UN Global Study on children deprived of liberty. He has recently been elected as a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2021-2024).

Imogen Foulkes

BBC Geneva Correspondent

BBC Geneva Correspondent, host of Swissinfo’s Inside Geneva podcast

Sevan Doraisamy

Executive Director @ Suara Rakat Malaysia (SUARAM)

Sevan Doraisamy is an experienced human rights defender with over 20 years of experience fighting for human rights in Malaysia. Throughout his years in defending human rights, Sevan has actively worked on areas related to freedom of expression, rights of indigenous people and right to liberty and security of person. Following the standard and tradition of vocal human rights defender in Malaysia, Sevan was detained 6 times for defending human rights and Freedom of Expression in Malaysia including organising and participating public rallies. Presently, he is the Executive Director of SUARAM focusing on Civil and Political Rights and actively working on torture, security laws, police reform as well as law reforms. Sevan is also an active contributor to various national coalitions of NGOs such as CSO Platform for Institutional Reform and CAGED (Coalition against Enforced Disappearance), COMANGO (CSO coalition on UPR Process). Sevan have spoken at UN's Human Rights Council, advocating to defend and promote Human Rights and Democracy in Malaysia. Sevan is serving as the Vice-Chair of Forum Asia, a regional Human Rights organisation.

Andrea Bolaños-Vargas

International consultant and human rights, indigenous peoples' rights and women's activist

International consultant. Advocate/activist for human rights, indigenous peoples' rights and women's rights.

Nordine Drici

Consultant

Holder of Masters' Degrees in History, International Humanitarian Law and International Expertise, Nordine Drici is the Director of ND Consultance services. He has more than twenty years of expertise on Human Rights (rights of detainees, migration and asylum policies), Rule of Law and Elections in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The question of deprivation of liberty is one the main focuses of his academic researches.

Alexis Comninos

Legal Adviser @ Association for the Prevention of Torture

Alexis Comninos is a Legal Adviser at the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT). His work focuses on law enforcement and human rights, in particular on the implementation of legal and procedural safeguards in the first hours of custody. Prior to joining APT, Alexis worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross. A Swiss/Greek national, he holds an LLM degree from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and an MA from Columbia University.