Experts on countries of origin by surname

Dr. Harding earned a Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Miami with specializations in Latin American Politics, Foreign Policy Analysis, and International Relations. His major professor and dissertation chair was the late Dr. Enrique Baloyra, a renowned Cuba-born scholar. Dr. Harding has held full-time academic appointments in Virginia, Alabama, and most recently Georgia, where he is the Professor of Political Science at Valdosta State University. He is the author of three books and several book chapters as well as over a dozen journal articles. Dr. Harding has been an invited presenter on Latin American politics in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. He has been a federally recognized asylum expert since 2018, working for asylum attorneys throughout the United States as well as the UK and and the Netherlands.

Dr Jawad Hassan Zadeh is an Expert Witness with experience of working in Afghanistan’s and Pakistan’s affairs. As of February 2022, he has prepared 1,128 expert reports for over 200 law firms and non-legal organisations based in France, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The Expert provides three services concerning cases from Afghanistan (1) country of origin expert opinions on human rights, culture, ethnic groups, religions, laws, government and non-state actors (2) conducts forensic examination of all types of documents originating from Afghanistan (3) interviews the ‘disputed nationality’ claimants from Afghanistan with a view of producing linguistic and nationality of the disputed clients.

The expert provides country expert reports for Pakistan, conducts nationality assessment interviews for Pakistani nationals whose nationality and origin are disputed and verifies the authenticity of Pakistani documents. 

Marta Havryshko is a Dr. Thomas Zand Visiting Assistant Professor in Holocaust Pedagogy and Antisemitism Studies at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University. She teaches courses on antisemitism and racism in the modern world and on gender, war, and genocide in Eastern Europe. Her recent publications include a book, "Overcoming Silence: Women's War Stories (2018), and book chapters and articles on gender, WWII, and the Russo-Ukraine war. She has conducted numerous expert interviews with the media and is a columnist in Berliner Zeitung on politics, war, and society in Ukraine. 

The Expert has a diverse background in roles such as project management, program development, and research in international affairs. The expert’s current position as a Project Manager and Researcher reflects her commitment to making a meaningful impact on regional and global development efforts with the specialism in Balkan affairs.

John Heathershaw is Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter.  His research addresses conflict, security, and development in global politics, especially in Central Asia.  He is author of Post-Conflict Tajikistan (Routledge, 2009), Dictators Without Borders (Yale, 2017), The UK’s Kleptocracy Problem (Chatham House, 2021) and over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles including in International Studies Review, the European Journal of International Relations, the Journal of International Relations and Development, the Review of International Studies, and the Journal of Democracy.  John is currently the principal investigator of a research project which seeks to identify the characteristics of kleptocratic enabling networks via an analysis of the data of the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.  In 2021/22, he was a senior fellow of British Academy studying relations between postcommunist elites and British professional service providers. 

Heathershaw  has previously been on the faculty of the American University in Central Asia, the London School of Economics, Kings College London, and the University of Notre Dame.  Prior to entering academia, Heathershaw was a research analyst at the Ministry of Defence… Read more

N'Deane Helajzen is a Serbian-Australian anthropologist and leading expert in human rights, gender equality, and women's empowerment, with a particular focus on conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, international humanitarian law, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), ethnic conflict, and genocide. She is the founder and director of Ethnovision, a storytelling agency based between Belgrade and Sarajevo, dedicated to amplifying the voices of marginalised communities.

With over 25 years of experience, N'Deane has worked in 32 countries—primarily post-conflict regions across the Asia-Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe. Her expertise spans advising governments, multilateral agencies, and international organisations on refugee issues, minority rights, and inter-ethnic relations, offering practical, strategic insights informed by years of hands-on experience.

N'Deane has also contributed expert country reports for asylum and immigration cases, specialising in LGBTQI+ rights, political oppression, social discrimination, human trafficking, and sexual and gender-based violence. Her reports have been instrumental in successful refugee claims from the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and… Read more

Rebecca Henderson is a medical anthropologist (PhD completed 2022) and MD candidate with expertise working in Haiti from 2017-present. Her focus is on the effects of ongoing political instability, gang violence, kidnappings, and material shortages on the care for individuals with cancer and other chronic conditions. She has conducted fieldwork around the country, including in Port-au-Prince, the southern peninsula, and the central plateau, specifically examining the effects of insecurity, stress, and lack of access that stem from Haiti's violent and chaotic political instability.

Luke Heslop trained in anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, earning a PhD in 2015, and was a Fellow at the London School of Economics prior to joining Brunel University as a Lecturer in Anthropology. He has worked for many years in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. His ethnographic work engages with the lived experience of macro-economic and political change and global challenges in emerging economies.

He is a Director for the Policy Research Institute of South Asia (PRISA), based in London, UK, working on issues concerning inequality, well-being, and access to services for diaspora communities in the UK. He is also co-Director of the Brunel South Asia Studies Research Group, a multidisciplinary research group based in West London, focusing, among other things, on the large South Asian population in the West London region.

Luke Heslop is the lead anthropological consultant for Dar al Handasah, with research work focusing predominantly in the Middle East. Additionally, he is the Producer and Co-Producer of The Migration Menu, a podcast series that explores migration stories from South Asia to the UK through food.

Rommel St. Hill is a rare expert who brings both depth and breadth to complex legal, trade, and governance matters across the Caribbean and international development spaces. From drafting laws and managing treaty negotiations to advising on AML/CFT and environmental governance, his fingerprints are on some of the region’s most important policy reforms. His leadership, versatility, and unmatched technical knowledge make him a go-to expert for institutions seeking real impact through legal reform. Rommel doesn’t just know the system, he helps build better ones, and any project would benefit from his strategic legal insight and regional fluency

Lecturer at the Institute for Anthropology, University of Leipzig. Conducted in total three years of field research in northern Somalia. Published author and experienced in expert reports on Somalia/Norther Somalia, in particular, northern Somali clans (Isaaq, Darood/Harti, Dir), minorities in (southern) Somalia such as Midgan, Asharaf and Sheikhaal, and issues of health care and mental health.

The Expert is a Country Expert and academic with extensive fieldwork expeirience and providing expert reports (100+) for more than 40 firms in the UK, US, Netherlands, and Canada with areas of expertise such as but not limited to:
- Authentication documents originating from countries of expertise
- Country reports on the indicated countries of expertise
- Minority groups, religious groups
- Political, social and cultural groups: LGBT
- Organized crime and mafia, state crime
- Extremist and violent groups, including religious groups
- Human rights violations
- Women issues: honor killing
- Human trafficking
- Psychiatry and prison conditions
- Disadvantaged groups e.g. children, minorities, mentally ill, disabled, terminally ill
- Availability of medical services
- State structure, military and security services
- Drug dealing and trafficking

Current Position

Director of Research – Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) – Panthéon Sorbonne Paris 1, Institut des Science Juridique et Philosophique de la Sorbonne

2017 – current – Senior Research Fellow – Centre for Socio-Legal Studies – School of Law - University of Oxford

2016 – current – full professor with tenure (on Leave) – University of Padua

2016 – 2021 – PI of European Research Council project – Cultural Expertise in Europe (EURO-EXPERT)

Past Position

2018 – 2020, Senior Research Fellow – Centre for Socio-Legal Studies – University of Oxford

2013 – 2016, Professor of Behavioural Sciences (Anthropology) – Department of Behavioural Sciences and Karakoram Centre for Culture and Heritage 

2013 – 2016, Dean of Faculty – Humanities and Social Sciences – Karakoram International University 

Professor of Anthropology - LUMS

Dr Ashraf Hoque is a social anthropologist with extensive fieldwork experience in Bangladesh and the UK. An expert on Bangladeshi society and culture, with particular expertise on Bangladeshi politics, human rights (gender and sexuality), religious minorities (Hindus, Christians, Atheists), blasphemy and apostasy, Islamic law, human trafficking, and the British-Bangladeshi community. He has written Expert Reports and provided oral evidence at immigration and asylum tribunals in over 400 cases, covering the following areas:

• The Awami League (including Bangladesh Chhatra League)
• Bangladesh Nationalist Party (including the Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal)
• Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (including Chhatra Shibir)
• Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh
• Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)
• Ansarullah Bangla Team
• Hizb-ut-Tahrir
• Purbo Banglar Communist Party
• Persecution of Hindu and Christian minorities
• Persecution of Biharis
• Persecution of atheists, Humanists, and apostates
• Persecution of bloggers and journalists
• Gender relations (patriarchy, domestic violence, honour killings)
• Status of LGBTQI communities
• Human trafficking (labourers, women, children)
• Land disputes
• Mental illness
• Healthcare
• Blood feuds
•… Read more

My academic and professional qualifications include an undergraduate in Psychology (Academic year: 1997) and a post-graduate degree and training (Academic year: 1997-98 and 1999-2000) in Clinical Psychology. My clinical work is diverse and covers assessment and therapy for adults and minority ethnic groups for various conditions. As a multilingual psychologist with multi-cultural experience, I can assess efficiently and provide culturally emotional sensitive service.

My employment history involves working as a psychologist:

1. In the UK, I have been working in the UK for last 18 years. I used to work with Nafas Drug Treatment Centre (my post was funded by NHS), All Together Project (UK Gov.), PR UK and The UK Centre for Counselling & Psychotherapy, London School of Psychology and Health.

I have also gained international experience by working in India and Bangladesh.

2. In India, with People in Distress (PID). Currently, I am working as a Part time Faculty for Post Graduate Diploma in Health and Hospital Management with International Medical Centre.

3. In Bangladesh, with National Institute of Mental Health, Marie Stopes Clinic, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) - a worldwide… Read more

The Expert is a UK-educated Barrister (NP) with extensive fieldwork experience in Bangladesh and the UK. He is a Lecturer at BAC International Study Centre based in Bangladesh. An expert on Bangladeshi society and culture, with particular expertise in Bangladeshi politics, human rights (gender and sexuality), religious minorities (Hindus, Christians, Atheists), he has conducted research, advisory and consultancy work in Bangladesh on the formal and informal justice systems, freedom of speech and other political rights, anti-corruption, violence against women, minority rights, etc. There is a strong network of experts all over Bangladesh to verify legal and other documents as required. In addition, the expert is available and able to give oral testimony before any court and tribunal if necessary to support his opinion.

Dr. Guita G. Hourani is an independent consultant following an academic career as a professor and researcher. She is a recognized migration specialist and expert witness in legal migration cases, holding a Ph.D. from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Dr. Hourani currently serves as an Expert on Citizenship for the European Union Democracy Observatory and holds senior research appointments at her alma mater in Japan and at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon. As a consultant, she worked on projects for ILO, IOM, UNDP, the EU among others. Her research is widely recognized for spotlighting marginalized populations—such as Kurds in Lebanon, Ukrainian women in Lebanon, Lebanese migrants in Gulf countries, Lebanese returnees, Syrian refugees, and parents of Lebanese emigrants—and for shaping migration policy through grounded, field-based scholarship. She was also the founding director of the world’s first academic center dedicated to Lebanese migration and diaspora studies.

Third-generation Senior Legal Practitioner and Managing Partner of Credence LP, one of Bangladesh’s leading law firms, with over 15 years of experience. Regularly provides expert legal opinions and appears in proceedings from lower courts and tribunals to the Appellate Division, with expertise spanning constitution, fundamental rights, criminal law, maritime, commercial, and Islamic inheritance law.

Dr Imam brings more than two decades of experience in mixed methods international social science practice, research, and teaching around the world, focusing on East and West Africa, South Asia, USA, and Central Asia. Her interests involve research, development, and instruction on advanced issues of human rights, international conventions on human, civil, and political rights, and against torture; police service, judicial and quasi-judicial institutions, and persecution; grievance redressal arrangements; gender analysis, gender equality, gender-based violence, forced marriages, and sexual abuse; child abuse, child marriages, and violence against children; climate-related issues; and more. She has written books and scholarly articles about public administration, employing quantitative data and qualitative streams of historical changes in socioeconomic, judicial, political, and administrative institutions.

Her work employs innovative research methodologies, focusing on getting to the crux of socio-cultural and institutional situations to deliver efficient solutions that take into account complex dynamics involving human rights, child rights, gender equality, sustainability, and other such standards, in diverse socio-political contexts.

Dr. Muhammad Kamaldeen Imam-Tamim is a distinguished legal scholar and educator specializing in the areas of family law, legal pluralism and intersection of law and religion. He has also done several research works bordering on issues of social justice. His Ph.D. thesis navigated these themes while exploring the strength of customary law and religious law over formal laws therefore making him work with locals with cultural and religious biases. He has also taught courses that espouses the principles revolving around these themes for decades at the University of Ilorin where he is currently an Associate Professor. He combines experiences as a Solicitor, Law Attorney and Academic Legal Researcher. In addition to his academic role, Dr. Imam-Tamim is actively involved in various professional organizations, including the Commission on Legal Pluralism and the Comparative Law Society of Nigeria. As an alumnus of the Harvard Law School Institute for Global Law and Policy, he brings a global perspective to his work, particularly in addressing complex socio-legal issues faced by communities, including those related to immigration and asylum support.

His expertise aligns with Communitology's mission to provide informed support for refugees and asylum seekers,… Read more