The team

Ajit Sahi

Ajit Sahi is an Indian-American civil rights activist and journalist with over 35 years of experience in the fields of human rights, civil and political liberties, religious freedom and investigative journalism. He serves as the Advocacy Director of the Indian American Muslim Council. He also leads and coordinates a large coalition of civil rights organizations, which include faith-based organisations, including Christian, Hindu and Muslim organizations, as well as non-faith based organizations. He has been at the forefront of building an overarching narrative about the situation of minorities in India. He is a recipient of the Voice of Courage Award from Muslim Public Affairs Council in 2022, the inaugural Swami Agnivesh Award from Hindus for Human Rights in 2021, and the Pluralist Award from Center for Pluralism at the IRF Summit in June 2022.

Firzana Redzuan

Fir (She/Her) is an independent consultant that specialises in children's rights and protection against sexual violence. She applies intersectionality in the advocacy of children's issues to safeguard the needs of children who have be systemically excluded and disinvested in. She founded Malaysia's first youth-led child sexual abuse prevention NGO, Monsters Among Us (MAU). Currently, she serves as the interim President of Protect and Save the Children, a child rights NGO providing educational tools and capacity building for adults to combat sexual violence involving children. Previously, she was a Programme Officer with ARROW's Information and Communications team for almost two years working on projects on gender equality and the harmful practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). She is legally trained in civil law (LLB) and Syariah Practice (DLSA) and has been called to the Bar in 2021. Apart from her children's right work, she is also an alumni of the YSEALI Academic Fellowship and participated in Indonesia's Women Ulama Congress as an observer in 2022.

Amanda Klasing

Amanda Klasing is the National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at Amnesty International USA. She leads a team of advocacy directors and fellows and engages with the US government on global human rights issues and to advance a human rights policy agenda. Prior to joining Amnesty International USA, she launched and lead the US Democracy Initiative in 2022 and co-led the Women's Rights Division from 2018-2021 at Human rights Watch, where she was also a fellow, and senior researcher. This role was focused on economic and social rights, sexual and domestic violence, reproductive rights and the impact of structural racism on women's health outcomes, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.  She is also a co-founder of the Human Rights Methodology Lab, a collaboration that fosters innovation to improve human rights research methodologies across disciplines.

Adama K. Dempster

Adama is a Liberian human rights and justice campaigner with over 15 years of experience in the field of human rights and transitional justice nationally and internationally. He is the founding national director of the Independent Human Rights Investigators (IHRI), Lead Campaigner of The Coalition for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia (CEWAECCL), and the Secretary General at the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia.

‘Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki

‘Ofa works to empower Tongan women. She tells survivors’ stories of violence against women and girls, drawing attention to this pressing issue in Tonga. ‘Ofa founded and served as the director of Tonga’s Women & Children Crisis Center. She has twice been nominated for the USA Secretary of State International Women of Courage Award for her work in the area of women and children’s rights in Tonga.

Simão Hossi

Simão is a journalist, an advocate for women's rights and gender equality, and a civic activist in Angola. He is also a poet, photographer and news blogger. He has written for Clube K and Revista Pueblo and now writes regularly for Radio Angola and Global Voices. He is currently completing the 3rd year of the Communication Sciences Course at the Independent University of Angola and has participated in debates and conferences on human rights at the national and international level.

Carlos Zazueta

Carlos is a human rights lawyer and researcher based in Mexico. He has extensive experience in human rights issues in Mexico and Central America, especially in matters related to torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions. Carlos previously worked as a researcher at Amnesty International and as a lawyer at the Center for Justice and International Law representing cases before the Inter-American Human Rights System. He brings to HRMI his expertise as a human rights lawyer and activist in the Americas.

Julia Legner

Julia Legner is a political scientist and human rights professional. She is the co-founder of Geneva based legal advocacy NGO MENA Rights Group and Head of Advocacy at London based Saudi focused NGO ALQST for Human Rights. She has over seven years of work experience providing legal assistance and advocating on behalf of victims of human and labour rights violations in the MENA region. She holds a BA in Arabic and International Relations from Westminster University and an MA in Middle Eastern Politics from the School of African and Oriental Studies at the University of London.

Jen Ang

Jen Ang is Founding Director of Lawmanity, a project that aims to tackle inequalities in the law by working with people-led movements to secure positive change.  She is an experienced human rights lawyer qualified to practice in Scotland, England and Wales, and New York State.  Jen is a legal expert on migrants’ rights, women’s rights and children’s rights, and on the rights of survivors of trafficking and torture.  She is also a Professor in Practice at the University of Glasgow’s School of Law, and believes in making legal education open and accessible to all.

Yibee Huang

Yibee is the Chief Executive Officer of the Covenants Watch, a coalition comprising human rights groups and organizations of persons with disabilities based in Taipei, Taiwan. She has a PhD degree from the National Yang Ming University on human rights indicator development. Yibee has extensive experience in the “Taiwan model” of reviews of state party reports on human rights covenants (ICCPR and ICESCR) and conventions (CRPD, CEDAW and CRC). Together with other civil society groups, they draft quality parallel reports to supplement the state reports on human rights. Yibee is also one of the few Taiwanese that have had the experiences with UN human rights mechanisms, by filing urgent appeals and submitting reports. Apart from advocacy activities, Yibee’s research interests include the development of human rights indicators and impact assessment, as well as application of human rights treaties in domestic courts.

Sharon Wangechi Muriuki

Sharon is a lawyer. She is interested in advancing agricultural governance, food safety, land rights and indigenous people’s rights in Kenya. She hopes to reinforce her human rights litigation skills and on agro-economic access to and for minority communities in Kenya.

Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh, from Fiji, is a feminist and a social development specialist with over 18 years’ experience in design, implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of women’s rights and development programmes in Asia Pacific. After working in regional NGOs for 12 years, she returned home over 4 years ago to head the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement- a position she holds today. She is passionate about many issues that affect women and strives to do her best to ensure that women are at the centre stage when it comes to equality, rights and development.

Savita Ali

Savita Ali is a feminist advocate and human right activist with 15 years of experience working at the ground level on the issues such as Dalit rights, minority rights, and women's rights and empowerment and such identity-based multiple marginalisation. Presently, she is the Managing Trustee of Eva Foundation and a core team member of 'Dalit Women Fight', where she leads and directs management of programmes, communications, and community mobilization activities. She is a  practicing advocate in the Patna High Court, in the state of Bihar.

Aina Shormanbayeva

Aina Shormanbayeva is a human rights defender in Kazakhstan. She began her work as a human rights lawyer in 2002. Since 2010 she organised and headed the International Legal Initiative Public Foundation, one of the leading human rights organizations in Kazakhstan. Aina is engaged in the promotion and protection of civil and political rights, including legal assistance to vulnerable groups, such as victims of torture, human trafficking, refugees, and people without housing and documents. An important part of her work is the promotion of human rights in the legislation of Kazakhstan.

Anne Pakoa

Anne Pakoa is the founder and CEO of the Vanuatu Human Rights Coalition, training human rights defenders to advocate for the rights of indigenous Ni – Vanuatu to ensure equitable access to social and economic goods for all. Anne is a registered nurse and nurse educator by profession, and she has worked in the NGO sector for 22 years, setting up a few NGOs such as Anne’s Christian Community Health School and Nursing Services, and the Vanuatu Young Women for Change. She is also chair and vice-chair on a number of other boards. Anne has been recognised by the US Secretary of State and the Commonwealth Fellow for her extraordinary commitment to fighting for social justice and was awarded the 2015 US Ambassador Women of Courage Award.  

Trinh Huu Long

Trinh Huu Long is the Co-Director of Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (liv.ngo) that aims to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Vietnam through independent journalism, research, and civic education. LIV's two main projects are Luat Khoa Magazine (luatkhoa.org) and The Vietnamese Magazine (thevietnamese.org). Long is based in Taipei, Taiwan as the head of LIV's Representative Office and Editor-in-Chief of Luat Khoa Magazine. He has studied law and Asia-Pacific studies, and has published intensively on legal and political matters of Vietnam concerning free speech, criminal justice, and constitutionalism.

Ben Lomai

Ben has worked as a litigation lawyer for 27 years since his admission to the Papua New Guinea Bar. He’s also admitted to the Victorian Bar in Melbourne. Ben operates a law firm under Lomai & Lomai Attorneys for over 20 years now. He has assisted over 1,000 asylum seekers and refugees under the Australian Offshore Program.

Ben Bilua

Ben Bilua is an award-winning journalist from the Solomon Islands. He’s been uncovering human rights violations towards indigenous people and people with disability since 2009. As a journalist, Bilua uses his knowledge to advocate and protest on behalf of indigenous people from socio-economic imbalances. He is a member of Pacific Human Right Defender and the founder of Indigenous Human Right Solomon Islands (IHRSI) with specific focus on documenting loss of biodiversity due to logging and mining.

Tebeio Tamton

Tebeio hails from the islands of Beru and Tarawa in the small island state of Kiribati. He is a food technologist by profession and LGBT advocate by passion. Tebeio is the found member of BIMBA (Boutokaan Inaomataia ao Mauriia Binabinaine Association), an LGBTQ+ civil society organization (CSO) in Kiribati. It focuses on eradicating all forms of discrimination, stigma and violence against the LGBTQ communities especially binabinaine.

Seyeong Hanlim

Seyeong Hanlim holds a BA in Political Science from Denison University and currently serves as a Program Manager at MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society in Seoul, South Korea. In this role, she combines activism and research on international human rights, primarily focusing on international covenants and critical issues in Palestine and Myanmar. Fields of interest include human rights advocacy, social equity, the experiences of marginalized communities, and the intersection of gender, security, and development. Committed to informing policy and promoting justice, Seyeong is dedicated to amplifying voices and addressing urgent human rights challenges globally.

Shefa’a Al Qudah

Shefa’a is an independent journalist from Jordan covering human rights, politics, gender, and climate issues. She is a member of the Marie Colvin Network of Women Journalists. Since 2018, she has covered protests in Jordan and works with Arab and international journalistic institutions. She has won local and regional awards for her human rights reporting. She is interested in staying connected with defenders of rights and freedoms around the world.

Patrick Poon

Patrick Poon is previously a Visiting Researcher of the University of Tokyo and previously a Visiting Researcher at the Institute for Comparative Law of Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan, and a Visiting Scholar at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. In his years in Hong Kong, Patrick was a court reporter at the South China Morning Post, an English website editor of China Labour Bulletin, executive secretary and board member of China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, executive secretary and board member of Independent Chinese PEN Center, and a China researcher of Amnesty International. He is currently a board member and consultant of Tokyo-based Asian Lawyers Network and a member of Lady Liberty Hong Kong. His opinion articles on Hong Kong and China were published in South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Free Press, Nikkei Asia and Japan News.

Velaphi Mamba

Velaphi Mamba is a Development and Public Administration expert as well as a Human Rights Defender from Eswatini. Velaphi has over 18 years of experience working in the civic society, philanthropy, and human rights sectors in Africa. His most recent role before pursuing his studies at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government was that of Team Leader for the Economic and Social Justice Cluster at the regional level (Southern Africa) for the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA).

Nkosikhona Sibanda

Nkosi has over 5 years of impactful leadership in business and human rights research, natural resource governance and climate justice. With a background in Environmental Engineering and Environmental Law and Policy, he is skilled in program direction and applicability of geospatial data for social justice and has led programs that track and monitor human rights abuses within the mining sector in Zimbabwe. He has worked on international projects either as a consultant or a research specialist with institutions like the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, UNCCD, the OHCHR and YOUNGO. Among other roles, he is currently an Affiliate Research Scientist with the University of Georgia's Department of Anthropology. He believes that no action is too small to change the lives of vulnerable communities, and a firm believer of measuring what matters.

Rachel Albinson

Rachel Albinson is Head of Human Rights Monitoring at one of the UK’s national human rights institutions. She is responsible for reporting to the United Nations and Council of Europe on government compliance with human rights treaty obligations in England and Wales, and managing their local Human Rights Tracker. Rachel has a background in equality and human rights policy development and international relations, and has previously worked in the UK civil service and the European External Action Service.

Kehinde Adegboyega

Kehinde Adegboyega is the Executive Director of the Human Rights Journalists Network Nigeria, a leading organisation dedicated to promoting human rights, freedom of expression, and digital resilience in Nigeria. With extensive experience in advocacy, media, and policy development, Kehinde spearheads initiatives that amplify marginalized voices, enhance journalistic practices, and foster accountability through strategic partnerships. Under his leadership, the Network has championed groundbreaking projects, including digital rights collaborations, community outreach programs, and the Africa International Human Rights Film Festival, which highlights critical human rights issues through impactful storytelling. Kehinde is deeply committed to empowering communities, advancing gender equity, and leveraging media to drive social change.

Dilovar Arabjonova

Dilovar Arabjonova is a researcher and project coordinator specializing in human rights and democratization. With a Master’s in Human Rights and Democratization and a Bachelor’s in Financial Management, she has worked on international projects addressing gender-based violence and community development. Her experience with USAID, OSCE, and ECOM highlights her expertise in data analysis and stakeholder engagement. Passionate about social justice, Dilovar holds multiple certifications in peace and conflict studies.

Lira Ismailova

Lira Ismailova (Asylbek) is a gender expert and trainer currently working at Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan (https://birduino.kg/en/), an organization dedicated to promoting human rights and freedoms in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Lira Ismailova actively works to improve access to justice for women and girls and to prevent sexualized violence against girls and women with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan. From August 2019 to November 2023, she served as the National Focal Point of UPR-Info in Kyrgyzstan, leading efforts to consolidate civil society’s role in promoting the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. From 2022 to 2024, she was the сoordinator of the Coalition for Equality, an alliance established in 2013 that brings together 30 NGOs in Kyrgyzstan to promote anti-discrimination initiatives, monitor public discourse for discriminatory narratives, and respond to discriminatory policies. The Coalition plays a key role in fostering an equal and inclusive society free from all forms of discrimination.

Siya Hegde

Siya Hegde is a human rights lawyer in New York City, where she currently works with the National Homelessness Law Center on advancing the right to housing and decriminalizing homelessness and poverty. She was previously a civil public defender at The Bronx Defenders, where she engaged in client facing advocacy and litigation that centered on the civil consequences of individuals’ contact with legal systems. Her expertise in eviction defense and housing justice has grown in partnership with local grassroots coalitions, directly impacted tenants, advocates, and defender organizations across the City. Her work and commentary have been featured in various outlets, including the New York Times, New York Daily News, Times Union, City Limits, the New York Law Journal, Bloomberg CityLab, the Georgetown Journal of Poverty Law and Policy, and the Indiana Health Law Review. As part of a national task force of civil society advocates, she has engaged with U.N. human rights mechanisms in Geneva around the criminalization of homelessness and poverty and is also a Board Member of the newly reviving U.S. Human Rights Network.

Dr. Debendra Prasad Adhikari

Dr. Debendra Prasad Adhikari is a human rights and peace-building expert with over 30 years of experience working with the UN, INGOs, governments, and research institutions, with a primary focus on fundamental freedoms and civic space. He specialises on human rights in South Asia as well as in conflict management, disarmament and reintegration, advocacy, and women’s rights. He has led numerous capacity-building initiatives for civil society organisations and has extensive experience supporting and empowering marginalised communities. Dr. Debendra also holds a PhD on the reintegration of female ex-combatants.

Aminath Lamha Aslam

Aminath Lamha Aslam is the co-founder of RiseUp Maldives, an NGO dedicated to protecting human rights and raising awareness about critical social issues. She is a passionate advocate for women's rights. Through RiseUp, Lamha plays a key role in guiding survivors through the legal system, advocating for their rights, and driving a meaningful change in the Maldives.