Introducing the AUWCL 2016 - 2017 Humphrey Fellows

 
YVON JANVIER
 

YVON JANVIER holds a Bachelor of Laws from Catholic Law School in Jeremie (ESCDROJ), along with certificates in leadership management and conflict resolution, and in international human rights law, specializing in children's rights from the International Institute of Strasbourg. During the fellowship, Yvon hopes to improve his knowledge of human rights in order to help implement the Rule of Law in Haiti. He was elected Mayor of Jeremie in 2002 and served until 2004. He works for the Education Ministry in Haiti and occasionally volunteers at ESPWA, a non-profit organization based in Haiti that fights root causes of poverty. Yvon worked for three months at the UN Mission in Haiti as a Civil Affairs Officer. He teaches public speaking at his alma mater, where he also lectures and presents at conferences on topics related to human rights. Yvon currently works as an independent lawyer and as a freelance journalist for Le Nouvelliste on social and legal issues.

ETIENNE MBALA
 

ETIENNE MBALA holds a bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Kinshasa, Congo. Etienne has worked as a lawyer for more than 10 years, where he focused on legal assistance, defense, legal research, legal memoranda, case management, witness summaries and interrogations. Etienne is also a human rights activist who has fought against the culture of impunity in the Congo. Etienne has provided pro bono services in partnership with the courts and the prosecutors' offices to destitute peoples and fought for victims of rape and sexual violence due to the two decades-long war in the Congo. Etienne plans to focus on the American legal system, international criminal law, and human rights law, concentrating on the protection of women and children.

VIVEKA SIRIWARDENA
 

VIVEKA SIRIWARDENA is a Deputy Solicitor General in the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka. Viveka has practiced as a civil lawyer as well as a prosecutor, having more than twenty years of experience. Viveka has a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from Wayne State University in Michigan, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Postgraduate Institute of Management in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and a Master of International Relations from the University of Colombo. Viveka was the first national coordinator of the Equal Access to Justice Project to promote access to justice for disadvantaged groups in the society. She also authored a book titled "An Assessment of the Contribution of the Judiciary to Good Governance: A Study of the Role of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka." Viveka's professional interests include civil rights and civil rights movements, along with the impact of judicial activism in different jurisdictions.

MEHDI MANRAKHAN
 

MEHDI MANRAKHAN works as Principal State Counsel in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Republic of Mauritius. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Laws (Honors) from the University College Dublin and a master's degree in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution (International Arbitration) from Queen Mary, University of London. Mehdi has been a practicing lawyer for over fifteen years. He has represented the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in many high profile and complex criminal trials, including murder trials before the Assizes Court. Mehdi enjoys a solid reputation of being a tough but fair prosecutor in Mauritius. He also heads the International Cooperation/Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition Unit.

MÔNICA SIFUENTES
 

MÔNICA SIFUENTES is a Judge at the Federal Court of Appeals in Brasília, and President of the Third Criminal Court, responsible for analyzing proceedings related to international human and drugs trafficking, financial and economic crimes, money laundering, and counterfeiting of currency crimes. Monica has substantive experience in the field of international judicial cooperation, acting not only as a member of the International Hague Network of Judges, but also as a Brazilian judicial contact point for the Red Iberoamericana de Cooperación Jurídica Internacional (IberRed). Since 2006, Monica has taken part in many official delegations, representing Brazil in the Hague Conference on Private International Law among others. Monica holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Laws in Economic Law, and a Ph.D. in Constitutional Law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Monica wants to focus on developing her knowledge of how the U.S. combats human trafficking in order to aid Brazil's current approach to the issue.

MTHOKOZISI NYATHI
 

MTHOKOZISI NYATHI is a labor relations practitioner at MN Labor Consultancy in Zimbabwe. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Fort Hare and a Master of Laws in labor law from Rhodes, South Africa. Mthokozisi has also taught business law and industrial and labor relations at Zimbabwean universities. Mthokozisi is passionate about workers' rights and hopes the fellowship will expose him to contemporary issues in international labor law. He is keen to explore issues such as best practices in promoting decent work and productive employment, the impact of international trade agreements, immigration laws, and globalization on workers. His firm offers free legal advice to certain categories of workers, such as those working in farms, mines, and as domestic laborers. Mthokozisi believes that workers can play an important role in promoting social justice and economic development in Zimbabwe and wants to make a meaningful contribution in alleviating their plight.

MADUME KGOSIETSILE
 

MADUME KGOSIETSILE holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from University of South Africa (UNISA), and is currently senior prosecutions counsel for the Attorney General of Botswana's Chambers. Madume has also received advanced course training on refugee law and humanitarian support with UNISA, and children's rights in Africa from the University of Pretoria Centre for Human Rights. She was awarded a certificate for justice advocacy training by the Justice Advocacy Africa and Law Society of Botswana, and authored a thesis titled, "Protection against Torture in International Law," which has been published by UNISA Press. As a prosecutor at the Attorney General's Chamber, Madume conducts criminal litigation on behalf of the government, prosecuting a variety of offenses including homicides, drugs and narcotics, robberies, sexual offenses, and fraudrelated offenses. During the fellowship, Madume hopes to advance her knowledge on children's rights and the best practices in juvenile justice.

NAZI JANEZASHVILI
 

NAZI JANEZASHVILI is a Ph.D. student at Caucasus School of Law in Georgia. In 2008, Nazi received the Lane Kirkland Scholarship and studied law at the University of Warsaw, and in 2009, participated in the Human Rights Advocates Program at Columbia University. She has worked in different NGOs focusing on human rights and the judicial system, including working as the Executive Director at the Association - Unity of Judges of Georgia and as the legal expert for the Women's Initiative Supporting Group. Previously, Nazi was a Program Coordinator at Penal Reform International South Caucasus Regional Office and was the Executive Director for the NGO Article 42 of Constitution. Nazi was a member of the Ethics Commission at the Georgian Bar Association and the National Preventive Mechanism in the Public Defender's Office. Nazi has served as coordinator of the working group on democracy and human rights under Civil Society National Platform, composed of around 100 NGOs. During her fellowship, Nazi would like to focus on judiciary, hate crime against LGBTI people, penitentiary, and human rights advocacy.

JAMES T. SY
 

JAMES T. SY is the Presiding Judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court in Marikina, Philippines. James holds an undergraduate degree from De La Salle University and a law degree from the University of Santo Tomas. Prior to his appointment to the bench, James had served the Philippine judiciary for nine years, having clerked for a Supreme Court Justice and the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals. After his service in the judiciary, James went into private practice, but returned to the judiciary in 2010, where he became the Chief of Staff of one of the Deputy Court Administrators in the Supreme Court. He also served as a secretary and a member of different committees and technical working groups within the Supreme Court. James is also a gender sensitivity trainer for the Philippine Judicial Academy and has previously taught criminal and special proceedings at the University of the City of Manila. James would like to focus on arbitration, mediation, and other judicial dispute resolution techniques during the fellowship.

SABRA KHAMIS
 

SABRA KHAMIS holds a Bachelor of Law and Shariah from Zanzibar University. She headed prosecutions at the Children's Court, and coordinated UNICEF and Save the Children programs relating to the rights of Children in conflict, witnesses, and victims of the sexual violence. At the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Zanzibar, she served as a state attorney and public prosecutor. In January 2015, Sabra was promoted to Senior State Attorney. She is an active member of the Zanzibar Female Lawyers Association, and she has attended various professional trainings and received certificates from INTERPOL online professional studies on the Investigation of Transnational and Organized Intellectual Property Crimes as well as from WIPO for a course on copyright and related rights. Sabra excels at prosecuting drug trafficking and sexual offense-related cases. During her fellowship, Sabra will focus on human rights law, specifically child protection laws and rights of victims and witnesses.

ULUGHBEK MAMADJANOV
 

ULUGHBEK MAMADJANOV holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Tashkent State University of Law. He was a course lecturer and chief specialist at the High Training Courses of the Prosecutor General's Office for the Republic of Uzbekistan before joining the Humphrey Fellowship Program. There, Ulughbek worked to improve the professional skills and knowledge of acting prosecutors, organized events, and researched and analyzed national legislation and legal practices on various topics. His main areas of expertise are human rights, anti-corruption initiatives, information security, and environmental law. During the fellowship, Ulughbek will be focusing on environmental law protection and international databases. Ulughbek has also been working as a representative of the General Prosecutor's Office to the EU project "Support to Criminal Judicial Reforms in Uzbekistan," and has successfully completed the training courses in Criminal Justice Response to Corruption at UNAFEI organized by the JICA. Ulughbek intends to establish a network of strong and lasting relationships with leaders, experts, and peers during his time as a fellow.

MEHNAZ SIDDIQUI
 

MEHNAZ SIDDIQUI joined the Bangladesh Judicial Service as a Civil Court Judge in 2010 at the age of 23 through competitive examination. She was the first and only female judge to have presided over one of the five pilot digitalized courts in Bangladesh. She is currently the Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws in Human Rights Law from the University of Dhaka. As a recipient of the Australian Leadership Awards, she completed her Master of Commercial Laws from the University of Melbourne. She is one of the Executive Members of the Bangladesh Women Judges Association. She is keen on reforming the labor law regime of Bangladesh in conformity with the international labor laws and standards to improve the condition of the readymade garments industry workers regarding workplace safety, wages, and prevention of forced labor.

MOUNA EL MESMOUDI
 

MOUNA EL MESMOUDI is currently a presiding judge at the Commercial Court in Rabat. She focuses on conducting cases in commercial litigations, leading the hearing, and presiding over litigations related to commercial contracts, bills of exchanges, and commercial establishments. She is a founding Member of the Professional Association "Club of judges of Morocco" and an elected member of its Regional Office in Rabat. Mouna is interested in enhancing her knowledge of both international human rights law and international business law. She is also interested in the study of the role of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers in upholding the rule of law, including human rights standards. She is hoping to build judicial capacities in these fields through training of newly recruited judges and contribute to the continuous training of fully appointed judges both in an academic setting and through professional associations.