Experts on countries of origin by surname

Jessica Ott is an anthropologist and policy fellow whose research and publications have focused on gender, civil society, human rights, health equity, domestic work, and Islam. She has extensive research experience in Zanzibar and has also studied and worked for several years in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Dr. Ott most recently completed a Science & Technology Policy Fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, during which she worked as a Human Rights Policy/Research Fellow in the State Department’s human rights bureau and as a Center for Global Health Studies Research Fellow at the NIH. Prior to that, she worked as an international health systems research scientist, specializing in gender and qualitative methods, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Pacifico has been an international lawyer since 1993, with expertise in International Human Rights Law, particularly human rights of refugees and forced migrants, since 1997. She has been an associate professor for Law and International Relations at Maceio, Brasilia, and Joao Pessoa universities since 1997.  She has taught International Law/Relations, Human Rights, and Refugee and Migration Issues for more than two decades. Dr. Pacifico has also presented seminars, given lectures and interviews, published papers, supervised theses and dissertations on these issues, and my own research principally focuses on human rights of legal minorities and human rights protections of refugees and legal minorities in Brazil and abroad.

Currently, Dr. Pacifico is a full-time associate professor in International Relations at Paraiba State University and a full-time collaborator/researcher at the Post-Graduate Program in Comparative Studies on the Americas, at University of Brasilia, both in Brazil, in addition to being a Senior Research Associate at the Refugee Law Initiative at University of London, UK. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the York University Centre for Refugee Studies, Canada (2009 to 2010), visiting research fellow at the Refugee Studies… Read more

Dr Imranali Panjwani has lived, studied and worked in the UK, Middle East, East-Africa and Australia as an academic, lawyer, chaplain and community worker. He has written 200+ country experts reports for asylum seekers under the instructions of UK and international law firms. His reports have been commented upon by judges and lawyers and draw upon his diverse legal, cultural and religious experiences.

For his access to justice work in immigration and asylum he received the national Spirit in the Community award at the GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards in 2025 and Highly Commended Access to Justice award at the UK Diversity Legal Awards in 2021.

Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at The New School for Social Research with 15 years of professional and academic experience in media, politics, and human rights. Skilled in international affairs, media monitoring, political analysis and consultation, and democracy and governance. Extensive knowledge of key political actors, civil society, and social impact program investors in the Latin American region.  Author of several articles on human rights, elections, populism, and social movements. Professor of Political Science and researcher. I possess extensive expertise in Venezuelan political affairs, both as a local and as an expert in the field. With over 15 years of experience working in human rights and the political landscape of the country, I have developed a deep understanding of its complexities. Additionally, my expertise in Guyana, Bolivia and Ecuador stems from my role as a Program Manager for the International Republican Institute and Political advisor for Canada respectively, where I collaborated with scholars, NGOs, and human rights activists. This experience provided me with valuable insights into human rights, legal issues, and their political implications.

Dr. Nicolas Parent is a Part-time Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, and Junior Research Fellow at the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa, Wilfrid Laurier University. Drawing on the disciplines of anthropology, geography, political science, and law, he examines the cultural, spatial, and politico-legal dimensions of persecution and discrimination. He has conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Peru, Rwanda, and Turkey, producing original research and providing consulting services in the areas of migration policy, refugee rights, and integration.

As a practitioner, Dr. Parent has taken on active roles in several organizations, including the Association for Solidarity with Refugees, the International Refugee Rights Initiative, Watch The Med, and Columbia University’s Teachers for Teachers Initiative. He is also founder of Praxis Initiative and the Observatory for Human Rights and Forced Migrants in Turkey. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Montreal-based The Refugee Centre.

The Expert is a North Africa and Middle East specialist and has produced over 400 expert witness reports for the UK courts across a range of countries including Libya, Iraq (including KRI), Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. The Expert has also served as an expert witness in several terrorism related cases in the UK, US and Ireland; as an expert witness in a Libyan case at the Commercial Division of the UK’s High Court; and as a country guidance expert on Libya in the UK courts (2017). The Expert has also carried out numerous linguistic and nationality assessments and provides translation services (Arabic-English). 

The Expert is an academic researcher and independent consultant whose expertise ranges from the study of Vietnamese and South East Asian socio-political issues to global labour exploitation and migrant workers' rights.

Dr Paszkiewicz is an anthropologist with over 20 years of experience in Refugee Studies, with a geographical focus on the Horn of Africa and Eritrean forced migration in particular. 

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Pettier is a professor of cultural and social anthropology of East Asia at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität in Germany. There, he leads an interdisciplinary Elite Master Program dedicated to the study of decision-making across Asia. He is a French social and cultural anthropologist whose interdisciplinary background includes studies in political science, sociology, and Chinese studies. He has worked in France, Germany, and the US. His primary research activities focus on the subjects of arranged marriage and human-nonhuman relationships, as well as the illicit wildlife trade. He has a theoretical focus on moral sentiments, ethics, and morality in both interpersonal and human-nonhuman relationships, and how they relate to historical, political, and economic conditions. His long-term research field sites are based in China and Madagascar.

Dr Tara Polzer Ngwato is a Founding Director of Social Impact Insights Africa, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has twenty-five years of experience in social development research, social change facilitation and evidence-based decision-making support. She specialises in breaking complex concepts and systems, like social cohesion and national reading ecosystems, into clearly defined and measurable indicators and tracking change over time to inform adaptive strategy. She is lead designer and implementer of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning processes at a national scale (Indlulamithi Barometer on Social Cohesion in South Africa; South African National Reading Barometer; M&E support to national donor and NGO coalitions in foundational literacy and numeracy) institutional strategy scale (Durban University of Technology ENVISION2030 Strategy Tracker) and project level. Tara’s areas of content expertise include human mobility/migration, education, social cohesion/unrest, and community development related to extractive industries (mining and renewable energy production). She is a highly quoted author on migration, social cohesion, education and health, with over 700 citations of her work on Research Gate. Tara holds a BA in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge… Read more

As a prison conditions and detention expert, Vicki Prais has comprehensive, expert level legal and practical knowledge of international and regional human rights standards on criminal justice and detention. Vicki has in-country experience working in different settings, including Kosovo, Armenia, Albania, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Japan, Georgia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Canada, Spain and Russia and a very strong understanding of penal related issues through practical visits to closed institutions in various countries (Canada, Georgia, Japan, Spain, Turkey and England & Wales). 

Vicki Prais is an internationally recognised award-winning human rights lawyer, independent human rights consultant, academic, trainer and career coach with expertise in the protection of prisoners’ rights, prison reform, humane detention and the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment in detention. She brings 29 years of professional experience in International Organisations (the UN, Council of Europe), the British Government (Human Rights Advisor to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Government Legal Department), civil society (Amnesty International, Penal Reform International), national human rights institutions (the Scottish Human Rights Commission) and academia (Visiting… Read more

Federica Prina is a Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at Central and East European Studies, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow. Prior to joining the University of Glasgow in 2014, she worked as a researcher at the European Centre for Minority Issues in Germany. Before completing her PhD, she spent ten years as a project manager and researcher in UK-based international human rights organizations, focusing particularly on issues related to freedom of expression and information. Her academic research specializes in the rights of national minorities in the Russian Federation.

Dr. Beth Prosnitz is a sociologist with over ten years’ experience in applied research. She is an expert on gender, development, land tenure, and peacebuilding Nepal. Her work has been published in edited volumes and high-impact journals, including the Journal of Peasant Studies. Dr. Prosnitz is passionate about using her knowledge to advance equitable societies. Currently, she holds a postdoctoral research associate position at Washington State University and teaches at Diablo Valley College. 

Area of expertise: The Expert, who is based in India, has served as an expert witness for over 20 years and prepared numerous expert reports/opinions on a range of issues for Legal Practitioners, Barristers, Solicitors, Attorneys, Tribunals and Courts including (but not limited to) those on Indian Laws on Citizenship and Nationality, The Indian Visa regime and OCI cards, Issues faced by a British national married to an Indian spouse on being relocated to India, Internal relocation, Treatment of minorities in India including Muslims, Christians and those from other religions, Rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India, Extradition proceedings from the UK to India, Legal issues concerning Law and Society in India, Mirror orders, Matrimonial proceedings, Interpretation of statutes, Bigamy, Single parent custody, Property and asset valuation, Official and personal/customary laws of India on marriage, divorce and adoption, Status of religious/ethnic minorities, Status of single and divorced women in India, Laws applicable to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, Implications of foreign court orders before Indian courts, effecting warrant and summon service, Ground investigation and verification work done to check the veracity of Indian documents and claims of asylum applicants in the UK,… Read more

Dr. Branislav Radeljic is a professor, consultant, and expert witness, focusing on European and Middle Eastern political and socioeconomic developments. He lectured for many years in the United Kingdom and, more recently, he has held professorships in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, he has held visiting appointments at Nebrija University in Madrid, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh. 

Dr. Radeljic has conducted research and provided specialized services to a broad range of clients, including government entities and non-governmental stakeholders. His work has involved thorough evaluations of governance regimes, institutional transparency and accountability, and prospects for increased citizen participation. He has conducted in-depth analyses of risk and conflict management, identifying effective strategies for mitigation and resolution. His expertise extends to examining regional cooperation initiatives and the roles of international organizations in facilitating collaborative efforts across borders.

A labour expert by training, Dr. Rakesh works on labour migration, refugee, remittances, settlement, diaspora, trafficking, exile and other inter-related issues. He has vast experience working with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and academic institutions. Dr. Ranjan has gained extensive fieldwork experience in Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia. Within the short span of his career, he has more than 30 publications on his credit, including authored books, journal articles, policy documents, project documents, and research chapters. 

Dr. Rakesh Ranjan is currently working as an Assistant Professor with the Centre for Development Practice and Research, Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He has also been associated with the Institute for Human Rights and Business as a South Asia Regional Hub consultant for the IHRB Migrant Workers Programme. Dr. Rakesh is a Visiting Senior Fellow of the International Institute of Migration and Development and Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism. Dr. Rakesh Ranjan has completed his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University and has received professional training from prestigious institutions like the European University Institute, International Labour Institute,… Read more

Former practising solicitor in Iran with expertise of the Iranian legal and court system and Iranian documents. Fluent in Farsi.

The Expert does authenticate, Iranian Birth certificate, National ID card, ID card, Driving licence, Military service card, insurance book

Doubted Iranian nationality by Home office (they have asked 100 easy questions about Iran, the city he lived, food price, petrol price, money, rent, houses, address, school, mosque, bridge, street, river, mountain, park, taxi fare, taxi colour, football team, Emam of mosque, cemetery,  cars made in Iran….,

Percentage of genuine or fake documents The Expert reported

From 2013 to 2025, I handled a total of 261 cases. More than 62% of the cases and documents submitted for my review were found to be negative or fraudulent, while fewer than 38% were determined to be genuine.

Between 2015 and 2025, I examined 54 identity cards and birth certificates. Of these, 45 documents were identified as fraudulent and only 9 were confirmed as genuine, representing 83% fake and 17% genuine documents.

From 2013 to 2025, I dealt with 15 cases in which the individuals’ nationality was questioned by the Home Office. In five cases, I confirmed the individuals’ nationality as Iranian.… Read more

Christian Reed is a Medical Anthropologist and Epidemiologist who specializes in sub-Saharan and East Africa. He has extensive research experience in Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia and speaks Portuguese, Swahili, Lunda-Ndembu, and Bemba. His single-authored book "Landscapes of Activism" pertains to pharmaceutical treatment access and HIV/AIDS activism with the matrilineal and Muslim tribes of northern Mozambique. He specializes in the social ramifications of infectious and communicable disease and rural and urban global health. Christian also studies religion with interests in traditional religion and healing, Pentecostalism, Catholicism, Santaria, Voodoo, and spirit possession.

Alexandra J. Reichert is a medical anthropologist and human rights researcher specializing in Indigenous women’s health, environmental justice, and state policy in the Ecuadorian Amazon. She is currently completing her Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University, where her dissertation, Birth, Violence, and Resistance in the Ecuadorian Amazon, explores Indigenous Kichwa women’s experiences of obstetric violence and their strategies of resilience and legal advocacy. A former Fulbright and Boren Fellow, she has over eight years of ethnographic and policy research experience with Indigenous women’s organizations, midwives, and health authorities in Ecuador. She previously served as Deputy Director of the Aspen Institute Health Strategy Group in Washington, D.C., co-authoring national policy reports on maternal mortality and health equity. Her research and publications bridge anthropology, law, and policy. Her areas of specialization include Indigenous rights, racial discrimination, gender-based and obstetric violence, sexual assault, state persecution, intercultural health systems, environmental and reproductive justice, and human rights documentation.