Experts on countries of origin by surname

Political scientist with comprehensive experience from research and Country of Origin reports and documents assessments. Research experience on political economy, opposition and political parties, political rights, democratic institutionalisation, NGOs. Expert on human and political rights abuse, political persecution, LGBT persecution, risk of return and of brutal and degrading treatment and torture.

Goal-focused, strategic planner, and passionate leader with extensive experience implementing effective, global strategies to stabilize communities through capacity building, promoting human rights and democratization, and amplifying the value of communication. Skilled in collaborating with all members of the organization to build bridges across ideological divides, trusted to tailor language, tone, style, and format to match the audience. Passionate educator with two years’ experience as a High School Principal. Proactively pursues the development and execution of ethical leadership, personnel management, and clear research/discovery goals with comprehensive plans delivering measurable impact to in-house operations. 

An accomplished expert in Lebanese, Levantine, and MENA law, politics, and culture, Dr. Isaac Andakian brings extensive experience and a proven track record in political advisory roles. From 2001 to 2009, Dr. Andakian served as a trusted senior political adviser to two members of the Lebanese Parliament and a minister in the Lebanese cabinet. Over nine years, he counseled the Armenian Orthodox Community Court of Lebanon and the Municipality of the City of Anjar, Lebanon, from 2003 to 2012.

During Dr. Andakian’s tenure as an Arabic Litigation… Read more

Dr. Đorđe Andelkovic is a deeply embedded regional expert on the political and ethnic fault lines of the Western Balkans, offering unmatched insight into Roma exclusion, ethnic policing, and post-conflict marginalization. With over 70 legal reports accepted in asylum cases across the UK, US, and Canada, he is regarded for his on-the-ground accuracy, unfiltered documentation, and ability to clarify the mechanics of civic repression and legal denial. His work is informed by years of direct field research in politically tense municipalities such as Sandžak, Mitrovica, and southern Montenegro, where he has investigated blood feud threats, police complicity, and the functional collapse of state protection for minorities. He also brings critical awareness of the subtle dynamics of surveillance, NGO harassment, and state-narrative manipulation, particularly in regions where youth dissent and draft evasion intersect with ethnic profiling. His field-grounded expertise, combined with fluency across Balkan linguistic landscapes and long-term engagement with both legal and academic actors, makes him an indispensable resource for complex Balkan-origin asylum and deportation cases.

Dr. Danica Anderson is a US-based international social scientist, researcher, and forensic counselor (criminal justice specialist) with a doctorate in clinical psychology. Dr. Anderson is a member of the UNESCO scientific and education CID council and of the International Criminal Court, a Psycho-social Victim Gender Expert for trauma with war crimes and war crimes survivors. She is a trauma clinician who has traveled the world bearing witness to―and researching how to heal transgenerational trauma and continues to make crisis responses while addressing the needs of immigrants and refugees during and in the aftermath of natural disasters and wars. Trauma response and social science and research fieldwork occurred in Afghanistan, Haiti, India, Sri Lanka, and many conflict-ridden regions and war regions.

Dr. Anderson's international trauma work occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa for the International Criminal Court and the United Nations World Food Program in Sudan. In former Yugoslavia, Bosnia Herzegovina, her study and clinically informed trauma for over two decades provided an archive of information on women's transgenerational trauma for war and war crimes survivors involving asylum and visas. Dr. Anderson worked with Mexico's National Human Rights, Mexico City, and the… Read more

Danielle Annoni is an associate professor of International Law and Human Rights at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR-Brazil), where she coordinates the Human Rights Observatory and Legal Practice in Human Rights and Migration. She has been conducting human rights research for 18 years. She is an educator, a mother and an active human rights defender, with a focus on migration, gender and the Latin American human rights protection system. Because of her work developed with vulnerable groups regarding the education of labor rights, the empowering of women through handicraft and gastronomy fairs, advocacy in the mediation of cultural conflicts, and access to justice and education, she has received several awards.

Dr Sara Arapiles is a Postdoctoral Fellow in international human rights law and refugee law at the Faculty of Law of Lund University. She completed her PhD research on ‘Slavery in Refugee Status Determination Procedures in Europe: A Comparative Socio-Legal Study of Approaches to Eritrean Protection Claims’ at the University of Nottingham. Dr Arapiles has extensive knowledge of and experience in researching and writing about refugee rights, with an emphasis on the human rights situation in Eritrea and matters relating to the persecution of Eritreans and their international protection needs. She is also engaged with exiled Eritrean human rights organisations and supports their capacity building. Dr Arapiles earned her PhD and MA in Socio-Legal Studies from the University of Nottingham, her LLM in International and European Law from the Institute for European Studies of the Free University of Brussels, and her Law Degree from the University of Salamanca, and is a member of the Spanish Bar Association.

With a robust foundation in international relations, law, and political science, I am a distinguished expert witness specializing in Balkan affairs. My career is characterized by a deep commitment to understanding the intricate geopolitical dynamics and legal frameworks that shape this vibrant region. My academic pursuits culminated in a prestigious certification in Law from the University of Oxford, where I honed my expertise in international law, human rights, and cross-border legal issues. Professionally, I have collaborated with NATO on defense and international policy initiatives, providing valuable insights into Balkan geopolitics. My participation in European Union election conferences has allowed me to engage in high-level discussions on the political shifts affecting the region. Additionally, my roles as a Leasing Administrator and Legal Advisor have equipped me with practical experience in legal documentation and corporate governance. Driven by a passion for advancing understanding in the complex political landscape of the Balkans, I leverage my extensive education and practical experience to provide expert testimony and consultancy in this dynamic field.

Dr. Ashforth is currently Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan, having previously held teaching and research posts at, amongst other places, Northwestern University, City University of New York, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. In 2019 he was appointed the Nelson Mandela Visiting Professor in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes University in South Africa.

Dr. Ashforth holds the degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in Politics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar (Australia-at-Large, 1979). Since 1981 he has conducted extensive research in South Africa, as well as in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. His primary research field has been South Africa, where he has conducted extensive research into issues of insecurity in everyday life contexts. In the 1990s, Dr. Ashforth conducted many years of ethnographic fieldwork in the black township of Soweto studying the social dynamics of the transition to democracy. He has published four books, three on South Africa and one on Malawi. In 2005 my book Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa won the Herskovits Prize for the best book on Africa published in that year… Read more

The expert is an analyst specializing in public affairs and political risk, currently working as a consultant in Mexico City. With a proven track record in anticipating policy developments, they design advocacy strategies for foreign embassies and develop risk scenarios for private sector clients. Their previous experience includes roles as Director of Political Risk Analysis at Integralia Consultores and Associate Director at Control Risks, where they produced influential reports and high-level speeches. The expert holds an MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and has contributed to various reputable publications. Known for their insightful analyses of Mexico's political and security landscape, they are a respected voice in the field.