Ali Abbas Khayoon is one of Iraq’s leading experts on international maritime law. Abbas Khayoon holds various prestigious legal degrees including a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Maritime Law from the International Maritime Law Institute in Malta (UN-IMO-IMLI), a degree in Law from the University of Basra in Iraq, as well as other advanced degrees. Presently, he is the Iraqi Assistant Legal Advisor to the State Co. of Iraqi Ports, Ministry of Transport. He is the primary drafter of most revisions to Iraqi maritime law and handles legal trade issues. He frequently represents Iraq at international maritime conferences, meetings, and negotiations. The extensive research and study that the Humphrey Fellowship Program provides will allow him to stimulate new Iraqi maritime laws, provisions, and policies that encourage the development of the nation.
2012 - 2013 Humphrey Fellows
El Hadji Dialigué Ba is a tax inspector and an associate lecturer in tax law. Ba serves in the Department of Legislation of Senegal’s Internal Revenue Service. As the chief of the Direct Taxes Section, his daily work consists of preparing tax bills, dealing with litigation between tax payers and the administration and negotiating tax treaties in the name of Senegal. He also teaches taxation at the university and graduate level. His specialization is international taxation, mainly transfer pricing. He holds a Ph.D. from Paris-Est University (Paris, France) and Masters of Laws (LL.M.) in Legal Theory (Brussels, Belgium), in European Law (Liege, Belgium) and in Economic and Business Law (Saint-Louis, Senegal). He 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. Belemlilga 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 other degrees in law from the Universite de Ouagagougou in Burkina Faso. Professionally, she is 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 advanced knowledge in natural resources management and watershed treatment programs. She wishes to utilize the Humphrey Program to gain additional legal and professional knowledge about these environmental programs so that she may further prosper the integrated watershed program in western Africa.
Burak Turan Benli sits as an administrative judge for Turkey’s Ministry of Justice in the Administrative Court of Ankara. Benli uses his expertise in constitutional law to review all actions and acts regarding administration cases filed against the Turkish government by both domestic and foreign companies. The Turkish government and respective administrative bodies must comply with the Administrative Court’s verdicts. In addition to his experience with international administrative law, Benli is also passionate about human rights and minority rights. He specifically chose to become a judge so that he could expand upon human rights protections in Turkey. He 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 mineral resources policy researcher at the information Center of the Ministry of Land and Resources of China. Chen is the chief editor china 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 further strengthen her research in the field and to broaden her worldwide research consortium through the Humphrey Program.
Ahmed Mohamed El-Sayed is a public prosecutor at the Egyptian Ministry of Justice. El-Sayed 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 beginning 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. He aims to utilize the Humphrey Program to assist him in shaping his plans to create productive changes for Egypt.
Tashi Gyalpo deputy 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. Gyalpo has played a key role in legal affairs concerning prosecution, litigation, and rendering important legal advice to the government, as well as in drafting and scrutinizing 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. He hopes that the Humphrey Program will enhance his ability to promote the rule of law in Bhutan by strengthening independent institutions of democracy while also ensuring their accountability and transparency. He also wishes to enhance his knowledge of 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 U.S. Federal Bureau of Intelligence, due to his unwavering commitment to justice and equality. He 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 is a federal judge in Brazil, a profession she considers to be both a job and a mission. Lemos-Fernandes’ passion for improving the social system has empowered her to participate in the Hubert Humphrey Program. 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, she 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 solve crimes in which international cooperation is essential.
Marcelo de França Moreira is a legislative consultant specialist on drafting Parliamentary speeches. Moreira 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 torefine the quality of the arguments he uses in pronouncements for congressmen. He believesthat the American tradition of democracy and human rights is an inspiration for all Brazilians, and that political discourse on human rights can mobilize social forces that bring to life the yearnings of minorities for a better reality.
Jean Pierre Aristote Nziragutinya has a passion for human rights and believes that states have an immense responsibility to structure their legal system to abide by codes of responsibility. This passion was established through his legal education and past professional experience with the Rwandan Bar Association’s law firm. Currently, Nziragutinya incorporates this passion into his work as lawyer and as a bills and policy researcher for the Chamber of Deputies in the Rwanda Parliament. As a lawyer, he has provided free legal services to a multitude of individuals in need, including the homeless youth. Through his work with the Rwandan Parliament, he has encouraged state legislators to enact statutes that respect the Rwandan citizens’ human rights and needs. He will use the Humphrey Program to learn legislative remedies that promote social justice and development, so that he may continue to encourage the Rwandan government to enact laws that support human rights.
Alejandro Pastori is a parliamentary advisor in international affairs. In this capacity, Pastori reviews complex legal issues that may result in the passage of international treaties. He is also a public international law adjunct professor at the Universidad de la República of Montevideo, where he teaches and conducts research. He is regarded as one of the top experts in Uruguay on public international law issues as a result of his extensive work and participation in the Latin American Integration Association, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Congress, and the University. His participation in each of these bodies has given him a unique global perspective that allows him to provide unparalleled legal advice to Uruguay. His current research focuses on the legal regulation and management of transnational rivers, lakes, and aquifers and their relation to international treaty agreements. He believes the Humphrey Fellowship Program will enhance his global perspective and benefit his work to support the national interests of Uruguay in future treaty agreements in this area.