Dr Alejandro Andrade

I provide expert analysis on all five Refugee Convention grounds — political opinion, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group (including LGBT and gender-based cases), and nationality — with focus on the following countries:

Venezuela:
 Persecution of opposition members, protestors, journalists, and students based on political opinion; harassment of religious figures and minority faiths; discrimination against indigenous ethnic groups; systemic gender-based violence, domestic abuse, and targeting of LGBT persons; and denial of nationality rights and documentation, especially for displaced populations.

Mexico:
 Targeting of activists, journalists, and community leaders expressing political dissent; violence against religious leaders and converts in cartel-controlled areas; marginalisation of indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities; impunity in cases involving women, survivors of trafficking, and LGBT individuals; and discrimination against returnees with foreign connections or dual nationality.

Guatemala:
 Threats to political and land rights activists, especially among indigenous leaders; suppression of religious minorities and evangelical converts in rural areas; entrenched ethnic discrimination against Mayan communities; widespread violence against women, girls, and LGBT individuals; and nationality issues affecting stateless or undocumented rural populations.

Honduras:
 Persecution based on political involvement, union membership, and civil activism; pressure on religious leaders opposing government or gang control; targeting of Garifuna and other ethnic minorities; extreme levels of violence against women, LGBT people, and other vulnerable groups; and internal displacement without protection or recognition.

El Salvador:
 Retaliation against those perceived to be gang-affiliated or politically opposed to state policies; religious discrimination in gang-dominated zones; targeting of indigenous communities and rural minorities; pervasive threats against women, LGBT persons, and youth; and barriers to protection for deportees and returnees based on perceived nationality or origin.

Cuba:
 Repression of political dissidents, independent journalists, and human rights defenders; control over religious expression and punishment of unregistered faiths; discrimination against Afro-Cubans and marginalised ethnic groups; harassment of LGBT people and gender-based abuses; and statelessness concerns for emigrants and those stripped of documentation.

Haiti:
 Violence against political critics, activists, and protest organisers; attacks on Vodou practitioners and minority religious communities; ethnic tensions between Haitians and Dominicans or migrants; extreme sexual violence, especially against women and girls in gang-held areas; and nationality issues tied to migration, displacement, and documentation gaps.

Colombia:
 Assassinations and threats against political activists, land defenders, and former FARC members; religious discrimination in conflict zones; systemic racism toward Afro-Colombians and displacement of indigenous groups; targeting of LGBT individuals and gender-based violence by armed actors; and legal insecurity for displaced persons and stateless returnees.

Nicaragua:
 State-led persecution of political opponents, civil society members, and clergy; harassment of independent churches and religious leaders; ethnic tensions in the Caribbean coast regions; criminalisation of LGBT persons and abuse of women by security forces; and loss of nationality for political exiles and dissidents.

Dominican Republic:
 Arbitrary enforcement of immigration policy against individuals of Haitian descent; discrimination toward non-Catholic or minority faiths; structural racism and statelessness of Dominicans of Haitian origin; widespread violence against women and LGBT persons; and nationality-based exclusion and denial of documentation.

Peru:
 Political repression during periods of civil unrest; marginalisation of indigenous religious practices; racism against Andean and Amazonian ethnic groups; widespread domestic and sexual violence, especially in rural areas; and identity-based discrimination against migrants and minorities.

Bolivia:
 Targeting of political activists and indigenous leaders; religious pressure in contested regions; ethnic discrimination against Aymara, Quechua, and Guaraní populations; high rates of violence against women and LGBT individuals; and unequal treatment of individuals with contested nationality or migration backgrounds.

Brazil:
 Threats against environmental and political activists; discrimination toward Afro-Brazilian spiritual communities; ethnic and racial violence in favelas and indigenous territories; gender-based and anti-LGBT violence by police and militias; and denial of protection to undocumented migrants and stateless persons.