Experts on countries of origin by country

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.

Salih Tarhan has ten years of experience in criminal law, with a focus on European Court of Human Rights practices. He earned his LLM in U.S. Legal Studies from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He has worked on both affirmative and defensive asylum cases. Currently, he is involved in legal tech projects that automate the filling out of governmental forms and the authentication of documents.

Sergen Bahceci is a political anthropologist who examines violence and its role in constituting everyday life and lived experiences. He completed a PhD in Anthropology at LSE in 2023. For his doctoral research, he conducted 20 months of ethnographic fieldwork in northern Cyprus among elderly war veterans and younger generations of Cypriots who were born after the island’s civil war (1955 - 1974).

Following his PhD, he worked as a researcher at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Criminology where he was employed to conduct digital ethnographic fieldwork in Macclesfield, England, on everyday experiences of crime-related insecurity. He previously taught anthropology at Goldsmiths and University College London, and also worked for the UN Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus in 2020. He has also provided a COI expert witness report for a deportation order appeal tribunal. 

Mr. Bahiss is a senior analyst with International Crisis Group’s Asia Program. He specialises on armed groups, security and governance in Afghanistan, and his work has been published by various international media and research organisations. 

Harina is an accomplished lawyer with an LL.M. in Criminal Law, graduating with first-class honours. Her academic journey includes a distinguished dissertation exploring the socio-legal dimensions of live-in relationships in India. With a strong foundation in law and a keen interest in addressing socio-legal complexities, Harina has built a diverse and impactful legal career.

Her professional experience spans multiple areas of law, including Indian Family Law and Society, Civil and Criminal Laws, Child Custody and Abduction, Indian Citizenship and Nationality Laws, and Indian Employment Law, among various others. She has worked on a diverse array of legal matters, showcasing her expertise in drafting legal documents, including agreements, employment contracts, and mandates, with a strong emphasis on ensuring compliance with applicable laws and addressing client-specific requirements. She also provided comprehensive legal opinions on a wide range of matters involving Indian Family Law, Contract Law, Indian Employment Law(s), etc., to foreign missions in India.  

Harina further prepared detailed Expert Reports and Expert Witness Statements on Indian law and Society, which were submitted in foreign courts that addressed… Read more

Dr. Adam Baird is a rare blend of academic depth and frontline experience, known for turning research into real-world change. Over the past 20+ years, he’s worked across Latin America and the Caribbean, shaping youth violence prevention programs, advising international agencies, and leading ground breaking studies on gangs and masculinities. His work with the UN, UNDP, and leading universities reflects not just his expertise but also the trust global institutions place in him. Adam brings clarity to complex problems, builds collaborative teams, and delivers solutions that resonate both in policy and in practice. If you're seeking someone who understands violence from the inside out and knows how to reduce it, he’s exactly who you want leading the charge.

Dr. Baird is a Professor of Geography and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the coordinator of the Hmong Studies Consortium at UW-Madison, and the PI for the Lao American Archive Project at UW-Madison. Dr Baird was previously the Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UW-Madison, and remains on the Center's Steering Committee. He is also affiliated with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison.

Dr. Baird has been living, working and conducting research in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia since the late 1980s. He’s lived in Laos for 15 years, and in Thailand for 10 years. He remains active in conducting research in all three countries. Dr. Baird’s areas of interest include, but are not limited to, environmental issues, Indigenous Peoples and ethnic minorities, politics, development studies, marginalization, poverty, cross-border issues, insurgency, social services, and immigration.

Beth Baker-Cristales is a cultural anthropologist with over thirty years of experience documenting the life conditions of people forced to flee Central America, particularly to the U.S .She taught anthropology and Latin American Studies at California State University, Los Angeles for over 20 years and is currently a visiting instructor in the University of California Washington Program (UCDC). Dr. Baker-Cristales worked with immigrant rights organizations in Los Angeles, including El Rescate, CARECEN, and CHIRLA, and she continues immigrant rights work in the Washington metro area, volunteering with CASA and local immigrant mutual aid groups. She has worked in the legal departments of some of these nonprofit organizations, helping people complete applications for asylum and citizenship, and she has written expert testimony for asylum cases involving people forced to flee for their political work and for domestic or gender-based violence.

Kaitlin Banfill is a trained cultural anthropologist and China expert with over 15 years of experience researching modern Chinese society and culture. Her doctoral research focused on ethnicity, kinship, and higher education in Sichuan Province. She has also studied rural-urban migration, rural development, and urbanization in Shanghai and Anhui Province.

As a third-generation Chinese American, she is particularly interested in advocating for immigrants and fostering belonging and inclusion for Asians in America. Her recent career has included work with the Asian American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) at South Seattle College, as well as activism and social services for immigrant communities.

Ibrahim Bangura has worked extensively in the fields of Transitional Justice, Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants, Security Sector Reform, Sustainable Livelihoods, Gender and Conflict Resolution in Africa.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History and a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from University of Sierra Leone; another Master’s degree in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam; and a Doctorate degree in Economics from the Leipzig Graduate School of Management in Germany.

He currently lectures at the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, and he is also a senior partner at Transition International, a consultancy firm based in the Netherlands.

Susan Banki studies the political, institutional, and social contexts that explain the roots of and solutions to human rights violations and social justice abuses. In particular, she is interested in the ways that questions of sovereignty, transnationalism, and citizenship/membership have shaped our responses to conflict and injustice, particularly examining institutions such as the international refugee regime, diasporas, and the humanitarian system. Susan's focus is in the Asia-Pacific region, where she has conducted extensive field research in Thailand, Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Japan on refugee/migrant protection, statelessness and border control. Her current projects include: the work of diasporas in responding to acute crises at home; humanitarian responses to complex displacement contexts; and the role of creative arts in transnational activism.

Dr. Astrid Barrondo is a globally recognized expert in international human rights law and justice reform. With a Ph.D. and multiple postgraduate degrees from top European universities, she has led impactful legal, research, and advocacy initiatives across Latin America, Europe, and North America. From litigating landmark cases before the Inter-American Court to training government officials on anti-corruption strategies, Astrid has remained at the forefront of global justice advocacy. Her extensive publications and advisory work reflect her commitment to defending the rights of the most vulnerable, especially Indigenous peoples, women, and laborers. Fluent in Spanish and English, she is a powerhouse of legal intellect, human rights dedication, and cross-border collaboration.