Humphrey Fellowship Program

Ali Abbas Khayoon is one of Iraq’s leading experts on international maritime law.  Mr. Ali holds various prestigious legal degrees including (LL.M) a Master of Laws in International Maritime law from (UN-IMO-IMLI) the International Maritime Law Institute in Malta, a degree in Law from the University of Basra in Iraq, as well as multiple other advanced degrees.  Presently, he is the Iraqi Assistant Legal Advisor to the State Co. of Iraqi Ports, Ministry of Transport.  As a result, he is the primary drafter of most revisions to Iraqi maritime law and handles legal trade issues. Moreover, he frequently represents Iraq to international maritime conferences, meetings and negotiations.  The extensive research and study that the Humphrey Fellowship Program provides him with will allow Mr. Ali to stimulate new Iraqi maritime laws, provisions and policies that encourage the development of the nation.

Dr. El Hadji Dialigué BA is a Tax Inspector and an associate lecturer in Tax Law. He serves in the Department of Legislation of Senegal’s Internal Revenue Service.  As the Chief of Direct Taxes Section, his daily work consists in preparing tax bills, dealing with litigation between tax payers and administration, negotiating tax treaties in the name of Senegal. Parallel to his job as Tax Inspector, he teaches Taxation in some Graduate Schools and at the University. His specialization is International Taxation, mainly Transfer Pricing. He holds a PhD from Paris-Est University (Paris, France) and Masters of Laws (LLM) in Legal Theory (Brussels, Belgium), in European Law (Liege, Belgium) and in Economic and Business Law (Saint-Louis, Senegal). Dr. BA wishes to continue his legal education with the Humphrey Fellowship Program so that he may strengthen his knowledge of international legal studies and comparative law.

Eléonore Patinde M. L. Belemlilga has a distinguished educational and professional background in environmental law.  She has studied and earned a Masters of Law in International Environmental Law from the University of Limoges in France, a certificate in Water Resources Management from the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, as well as various other prestigious degrees in law from the Universite de Ouagagougou in Burkina Faso.  Professionally, Belemlilga has become the first female in Burkina Faso to work as a managing legal advisor for a Water Agency in the Ministry of Agriculture and Hydraulics.  These achievements have given her an extraordinary amount of knowledge in natural resources management and watershed treatment programs, and she wishes to utilize the Humphrey Program to acquiesce additional legal and professional knowledge about these environmental programs so that she may continue to prosper the integrated watershed program in the Western portion of Africa.

Burak Turan Benli sits as an Administrative Judge for Turkey’s Ministry of Justice in the Administrative Court of Ankara and uses his expertise in constitutional law to affectively review all actions and acts regarding administration cases filed against the Turkish government by both domestic and foreign companies.  Upon completion of this review, the Turkish government and respective administrative bodies must comply with the Administrative Court’s verdicts.  Consequently, Benli’s esteemed position has allowed him to achieve many remarkable accomplishments.  In addition to Benli’s experience with international administrative law, he is also passionate about human rights and minority rights.  In fact, Benli specifically chose to selflessly become a judge so that he could expand upon human rights protections in Turkey.  Benli believes that the Humphrey Fellowship Program will not only contribute to the completion of his work as an Administrative Judge in Turkey, but also increase his knowledge of judicial proceedings and favorable arguments surrounding human rights and minority rights.

Liping Chen works as a mineral resources policy researcher at the Information Center of Ministry of Land and Resources of China. She is the chief editor of foreign countries’ Mining Investment Guide and a lecturer in international mining investment climate in China. She holds a B. Sc degree in Geology from Nanjing University (China), and M. Sc degree in Mathematic Geology from Changchun University of Geology (China). She has completed her postgraduate studies of law from the China University of Political Science and Law. She is passionate about international comparative research of mineral resources governance and hopes to both further strengthen her research in the field and to broaden her worldwide research consortium through the Humphrey Program.

Ahmed Mohamed El-Sayed works as a Public Prosecutor at the Egyptian Ministry of Justice.  He studied law at Cairo University and earned a Master of Laws in Human Rights from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.  Since his profession as a Public Prosecutor, El-Sayed has developed a strong interest in promoting the recognition and enforcement of human rights in the law.  Accordingly, he believes that Egypt is in need of a massive legislative reform that incorporates internationally recognized human rights standards, precepts of democratic governance, and provides for effective mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of said principles.  El-Sayed aims to utilize the Humphrey Program to assist him in shaping his plans in an applicable manner so as to create productive changes for Egypt.

Tashi Gyalpo, Dy. Chief Attorney in the Office of the Attorney General, is also a Legal Advisor to the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Bhutan. As a dedicated public servant, Gyalpo has played a key role in legal affairs concerning prosecution, litigation and rendering important legal advice to the Government. Additionally, he drafts and scrutinizes the constitutional validity of legislative bills. He fully supports Bhutan’s newly shaped democratic governance and acknowledges the importance of an independent and accountable Judiciary to protect rights of the people in an evolving democracy. Gyalpo hopes that the Humphrey Fellowship Program will enhance his ability to promote the rule of law in Bhutan by strengthening independent institutions of democracy while also ensuring accountability and transparency of such institutions. He also wishes to use the Fellowship as a learning platform to enhance his knowledge on informal dispute settlement mechanisms.

Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir serves as the Senior Superintendent of Police in the Police Service of Pakistan, and has a Masters in Law in the field of International Criminal Law from London’s King’s College, as well as a Masters Degree in Criminology from the University of Melbourne, Australia.  Jehangir has received numerous national and international awards, including a Presidential Police Medal for excellent service by the Pakistani government and a Certificate of Public Service administered by the United State’s Federal Bureau of Intelligence.  These honorary awards have been granted to Jehangir due to his unwavering commitment for justice and equality.  Jehangir believes that police forces, regardless of what country they are in, should adamantly support human rights and prevent any crimes that threaten to deter this sense of equality and justice.  Jehangir would like to use the Humphrey Program to challenge himself to learn more about mechanisms that implement justice.

Simone dos Santos Lemos-Fernandes does not consider her profession as a Federal Judge in Brazil to be just a job, but more of a mission. Her passion for working towards the improvement of the social system has empowered her to participate in the Hubert Humphrey Program, which is directly involved in the protection and preservation of human rights. Her major area of interest is combating crimes committed via the internet, mainly against minors, due to the significant increase of this kind of offense – an international problem which goes beyond the borders of the countries where the violations take place. As a Humphrey Fellow, Judge Lemos-Fernandes intends to broaden her understanding of American and international law, which will aid in the conducting of the cases under her jurisdiction and will allow her to help in solving crimes in which international cooperation is essential.

Marcelo de França Moreira is a Legislative Consultant Specialist on drafting parliamentary speeches. He has also advises important members of the Chamber of Deputies in Brazil’s Congress, writes discourses that deal with complex issues regarding human rights, and contributes to the approval of laws and public policies that represent important social breakthroughs for his country. His main area of interest is human and minority rights. Due to his work experience and academic background, which includes three graduate degrees (in Law, History and Philosophy) from the University of Brasilia and five specializations in Law, he wishes to use his Humphrey Fellowship to increase his academic and professional competence in order to refine the quality of the arguments he uses in pronouncements for congressmen.  Moreira believes that the American tradition of democracy and human rights is an inspiration for all Brazilians. He is confident that political discourse surrounding human rights can lead to the mobilization of social forces that bring to life the yearnings of minorities for a better reality.