Through its Profiles in Prevention series, the Auschwitz Institute highlights leaders who have emerged from programs like our Raphael Lemkin Seminar with an especially strong commitment to preventing genocide and other mass atrocities. These role models strive to create and shape policies, both at home and abroad, that focus on effective and sustainable prevention.
Profiles
Irene Cabrera
Irene Cabrera is a Professor at the Externado University in Colombia, where she leads research projects on mixed migration flows, armed conflict, and peacebuilding. She is also Co-director of the Barometer of Xenophobia, a platform to monitor and prevent expressions of xenophobia against migrants in Colombia. She has conducted research projects for the Colombian Truth Commission, as well as the national Office of the Ombudsperson and the UN High Commissioner …
Gérard Hakizimana
Gérard Hakizimana is a Burundian activist whose work on conflict management has influenced the Burundian state in its search for peace and peaceful cohabitation in recent years. Mr. Hakizimana is a longtime Human Rights Defender and has collaborated with many national and international organizations, such as CNIDH, CVR, and ONPG. A prominent civil society actor in Burundi, he has served as the president of the organization “Force de Lutte …
Feride Rushiti
Dr. Feride Rushiti is the founder and Executive Director of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT). Through almost two decades of research and advocacy, Dr. Rushiti has secured access to healthcare and justice for civilian victims of Kosovo’s* 1998-1999 war. Her advocacy led to the recognition of the survivors of wartime sexual violence among other civilian victims of war in 2014 as well as the landmark decision in 2017 by the Cossack government to fund pensions for Kosovo’s victims of wartime sexual violence.
Ruth Meyre M. Rodrigues
Dr. Ruth Meyre M. Rodrigues is a Portuguese-language Teacher in the Educational Public System of the Federal District of Brazil. In 2016, she became a public official, serving as Director of Rural Education, Human Rights, and Diversity issues at the Secretariat of Education of the Federal District. Dr. Meyre M. Rodrigues holds a PhD in Education from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), where she was part of a …
Mauricio Coitiño
Mauricio Coitiño (@mauricio_uy) is a specialist in public policy and communications from a human rights perspective. He holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Catholic University of Uruguay with a specialization in Methods and Analysis. As a consultant, he has completed projects involving the research and design of public policy, trained officials on human rights and discrimination issues, and evaluated international social organizations. Between 2010 and 2011, …
Francisco Celso Leitão Freitas
Francisco Celso Leitão Freitas is a history teacher and the Pedagogical Director of the Respect and Attitude Association (AREA, for its initials in Portuguese) in Brazil. A a cultural producer and specialist in inclusive education, he is the creator of, and collaborator on, many educational and cultural projects aimed at empowering Black, poor, and marginalized youth in Brazil’s Federal District. The impact of his pedagogical-cultural interventions has been recognized …
Irinel Rotariu
Irinel Rotariu is a Colonel Magistrate and military prosecutor at the Military Prosecutor’s Office in Iași, Romania. He attended the Law Faculty at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iași, Romania, where, since 2007, he has served as an Associate Professor. Currently, he is engaged in doctoral studies in Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Political Sciences at the same university. From May of 2018, he has been …
Lokuto Bismark Simon
Lokuto Bismark Simon works with the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization – South Sudan (CEPO) as a Project Officer and also acts as a member of the South Sudan National Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination. He attended the November 2018 edition of the Global Raphael Lemkin Seminar for Genocide Prevention in Poland.
Putri Maha Lima
Putri Maha Lima is the Director of Policy, Education and Publicity at the Secretariat of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in Jakarta, Indonesia. Before joining AIPA, she was a Program Coordinator for Regional Cooperation for a German political foundation based in Indonesia and was also nominated by UNICEF to participate in Leiden University’s Short Course on Children’s Rights. Ms. Maha Lima attended AIPR’s Raphael Lemkin Global Seminar in Poland in …
Lillian Kobusingye
Lillian Kobusingye currently serves as a Program Officer at the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers – FIDA-Uganda – a national women’s organization that advances the rights of women with the use of law as a social tool. An alumna of the University of Wales in the United Kingdom, she devotes her time as an activist toward issues concerning the rights of women and children in Uganda. Ms. Kobusingye attended …
Edwine Okuta
Edwine Okuta is a member of the Kenyan National Committee on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination (KNC), the Kenyan International Humanitarian Law Committee, and the Law Society of Kenya. As an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, he holds a Bachelor of Laws as well as Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Philosophy from the …
Shara Duncan
Shara Duncan serves as Minister Counsellor to the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations in New York, in charge of International Law, Rule of Law and Genocide Prevention issues. She has previously worked as an Advisor to the Office of the Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship on issues of international litigation. Ms. Duncan is a lawyer and has earned a master’s degree in …
Dickson Magotsi
Mr. Dickson Liyayi Magotsi currently serves as the Undersecretary and Head of Programs for the Kenyan Ministry of Interior and Coordination’s National Steering Committee on Peacebuilding and Conflict Management, housed in the Ministry’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Unit. Mr. Magotsi also sits on the Kenyan National Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination. During …
Sriprapha Petcharamesree
Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree is the Director of the Ph.D. Program in Human Rights and Peace Studies (International) of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University in Thailand. In October of 2009, she was appointed by the national government to act as the Thai Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, a role she served in until December of 2012. In addition to her academic duties, …
Lawrence Orowe
Mr. Lawrence Orowe is the Vice Chairman of Kenya’s National Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination. He formerly served as Group Legal Head of the Kenya Red Cross Society and also as a former Legal Advisor to the Department of Governance based at Kenya’s State House. Mr. Orowe specializes in a variety of topics including human rights …
Ariela Peralta
Dr. Ariela Peralta is the President of Uruguay’s National Institution for Human Rights (INDDHH). She graduated with a law degree from the Universidad de la República (UDELAR) and has an LLM in International Legal Studies from American University. In addition to her work at the INDDHH, she has has authored books and articles as well appearing as an instructor and presenter at numerous national and international seminars and meetings.
Justice Lydia Mugambe
The Honorable Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe is a Judge of the High Court in Uganda, the winner of the 2017 Women’s Link International People’s Choice Gavel Award for her work on issues of gender-based justice and will act as the 2017 Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability Fellow at Columbia University in New York. In addition to contributing to AIPR’s national and regional level work in Africa, Justice Mugambe attended …
Shree Krishna Subedi
Before being appointed to the Nepalese Truth and Reconciliation Committee, Shree Krishna Subedi was President of an organization called Public Interest Law Advocacy and Litigation (PILAL), as well as serving as a founding member of Young Lawyers for Human Rights in his country. A member of the Nepalese Bar Association, Mr. Krishna Subedi previously served as Executive Director of an NGO – INHURED International – where he coordinated a Comprehensive Peace Agreement …
Sambwa Simbyakula-Chilembo
Sambwa Simbyakula-Chilembo serves as Acting Principal Counsel in the International Law and Agreements Department of Zambia’s Ministry of Justice. After joining the Ministry of Justice as a State Advocate in 2012, Ms. Simbyakula-Chilembo rose to her current position where she provides counsel on matters related to human rights, public international law, humanitarian law and other general legal issues as well as working on domestic, bilateral and multilateral agreements on behalf of the Government of …
Marlon Alberto Weichert
Marlon Alberto Weichert serves as Deputy Federal Ombudsman in Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry. He has been both a longtime collaborator with the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation and contributor to the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, where he serves as one of Brazil’s Focal Points. Most recently, he participated in AIPR’s 2016 Raphael Lemkin Alumni Meeting in Venice, Italy.
Vahidin Omanovic & Mevludin Rahmanovic
Vahidin Omanovic and Mevludin Rahmanovic are the co-Founders and co-Directors of the Center for Peacebuilding (CIM), located in Sanski Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Omanovic, a trained professional in non-violent communication strategies and conflict resolution, has a Master’s Degree in International Relations with a concentration in Conflict Transformation from the School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont. Mr. Rahmanovic, a certified Trainer of Trainers in dialogue and nonviolent …
Fadhili Jackson Manyaki
Mr. Fadhili Jackson Manyaki is a Peacebuilding Specialist at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, which is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He has been working in the field since 2012, having spent time as a consultant with several organizations including SPLM North (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North), the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (FPICGLR), and TANGO Consult. Mr. Manyaki has a Bachelor’s …
Duje Ančić
Duje Ančić is the Head of the Division for Peace Missions and Operations in the Sector for NATO and International Security within the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs’ Directorate General for Global Affairs. As a diplomat, Mr. Ančić featured as a participant in the 2012 edition of the Global Raphael Lemkin Seminar for Genocide Prevention as well as the Raphael Lemkin Seminar Alumni Meeting held in Arusha, …
Alice Nderitu
Alice Nderitu is a pioneer in the field of peacebuilding and violence prevention. She has served as Commissioner of Kenya’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission and as a Founding Member and co-Chair of the Uwiano Platform for Peace, which was pivotal in preventing violence surrounding the 2013 Kenyan Elections. Currently working as a Senior Advisor and as Lead Mediator in Nigeria for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), she is widely …
José Luis Guerra
José Luis Guerra Mayorga is the General Director of Protection at the Ecuadorian Office of the Ombudsman. He is an active member in programs organized by the Auschwitz Institute, having participated in the 2014 Global Raphael Lemkin Seminar for Genocide Prevention and the 2016 Lemkin Seminar Alumni Meeting, among others. Mr. Guerra also acts as the Ecuadorian Focal Point in the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity …
Blanka Jamnišek
Ambassador Blanka Jamnišek currently serves as the Slovenian National Focal Point for the Responsibility to Protect and as the Deputy Head of the Slovenian Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). From 2011-2015, she served as the Slovenian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and other international organizations in Vienna, Austria.
Roba D. Sharamo
Dr. Roba D. Sharamo currently serves as Commissioner of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission of the Republic of Kenya and a Member of the country’s National Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination.
Rut Diamint
Dr. Rut Diamint is a professor of Political Science at Torcuato Di Tella University and researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technological Research, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An expert on civil-military relations, she has served as Chief of Cabinet and Advisor to the Argentine Ministry of Defense (2004–2005), has held research positions at Florida International University (2008) and Columbia University (2001).
María Alejandra Costa Prieto
María Alejandra Costa Prieto is the Director of the Human Rights Department in Uruguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and currently serves as her country’s Focal Point in the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. Ms. Costa is also an alumna of the 2015 Global Raphael Lemkin Seminar for Genocide Prevention, held in Poland.
Debbie Stothard
Debbie Stothard is an active promoter of human rights in Burma and the ASEAN region. During her 32-year career, she has worked as a journalist, community education consultant, governmental advisor, and trainer in Malaysia, Australia, and Thailand. In 1996, she founded the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma) and was elected Secretary-General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in 2013.
Yvette K. W. Bourcicot
Yvette K. W. Bourcicot is a Senior Advisor for Atrocity Prevention and Response for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy) in the United States government. She is a medically retired Air Force JAG and holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center as well as an A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University.
Dismas Nkunda
Dismas Nkunda is a longtime leader in Ugandan civil society and the Founder and Executive Director of Atrocities Watch Africa. Mr. Nkunda holds a Master of Arts degree in Humanitarian Assistance from Tufts University and has previously worked as a Program Officer for Africa Humanitarian Action in Uganda in addition to his career as a journalist covering conflicts in Africa’s Great Lakes Region.
Fabian Oddone
Fabian Oddone is a diplomat currently acting as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Argentine Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. Mr. Oddone served as an instructor at the Global edition of AIPR’s Lemkin Seminar in November of 2011 and December of 2013 as well as at the Latin American edition of the seminar in October 2014.
Lady Justice Jamila Mohammed
Lady Justice Jamila Mohammed is a Judge of Appeal within Kenya’s national Court of Appeal and is the Chairperson of Kenya’s National Committee on the Prevention of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination, having previously served as Vice-Chairperson.
Jaime Alejandro Godoy Tellez
Jaime Alejandro Godoy Tellez is the head of the United Nations System Department in the Human Rights Division of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an alumnus of the 2015 edition of the Latin American Raphael Lemkin Seminar.
Lina Zedriga Waru Abuku
Lina Zedriga Waru Abuku is the Secretary of Uganda’s National Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination and attended AIPR’s 2014 Raphael Lemkin Seminar, Global Edition. A former Magistrate, Ms. Zedriga is now a full-time activist working to end social exclusion and all forms of discrimination against vulnerable groups, especially women. Lina is also a practicing attorney, educator …
Dr. Seree Nonthasoot
Dr. Seree Nonthasoot, the Representative of Thailand to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), attended the 2013 Raphael Lemkin Seminar, Global Edition.
Maite Schmitz
Maite Schmitz is the Deputy Head of the United Nations Division at the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations. She participated in our 2009 Global Lemkin Seminar in Poland.
Yudith Rolón
Yudith Rolón is General Director in the Directorate of Truth, Justice and Reparation of the Office of the Ombudsman, Paraguay, and Focal Point in the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. She attended the Latin American edition of the Raphael Lemkin Seminar for Genocide Prevention in June 2013 (Poland) and June 2014 (Argentina).
Noel Kilomba
Noel Kilomba is a current member of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Constitutional Court—the highest constitutional authority in the DRC. Prior to his appointment to court, he was Coordinator of DRC National Committee…
Lucas Kusima
Lucas Kusima is a member of the Tanzanian National Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination.
Mariana Salazar Albornoz
Mariana Salazar Albornoz is the Director for International Humanitarian Law in the Legal Advisory of Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has worked in the Ministry for the past 10 years, in the fields of human rights, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. She attended the November 2012 Global Edition and the June 2013 Latin American Edition of the Lemkin Seminar, plus our May 2013 alumni meeting in …
Miraji Magai
Miraji Magai attended our December 2013 Lemkin Seminar and serves as Secretary of Tanzania’s National Committee on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and all Forms of Discrimination. He is also a Program Officer of the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation.
Grata Endah Werdaningtyas
Grata Endah Werdaningtyas is Deputy Director for the Rights of Vulnerable Groups at the Directorate of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs of Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
David Schwake
David Schwake, the German Ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan, attended our first Raphael Lemkin Seminar in May 2008. At the time, Ambassador Schwake worked in the Diplomatic Training Department of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Teimuraz Antelava
Teimuraz Antelava, Director for Public International Law at Georgia’s Ministry of Justice, attended AIPR’s November 2011 Lemkin Seminar, Global edition. His deep-rooted commitment towards the prevention of genocide mass atrocities shines brightly through his work.
Analucia Jacome Quelal
Analucia Jacome Quelal, Delegate for the Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, attended the November 2012 Global edition and June 2013 Latin American edition of the Lemkin Seminar, plus our May 2013 alumni meeting in Tanzania. She has worked for Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs since March 2008 and assumed her current position in February 2013.
Masni Eriza
Mr. Masni Eriza, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations, attended AIPR’s November 2012 Lemkin Seminar. Mr. Eriza joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia…
Felistas Mushi
Ms. Felistas Mushi is the Chairperson of Tanzania’s National Committee on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and all Forms of Discrimination. She attended AIPR’s November 2011 Global Lemkin Seminar as well as the 2013 Lemkin Seminar Alumni Meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.
Cecilia Meirovich
Ms. Cecilia Meirovich currently works as Secretary of Embassy within the Human Rights Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina. A career diplomat, she graduated from the Instituto del Servicio Exterior de la Nacion and holds a MA in International Affairs from the National University of Cordoba, Argentina. Like Luate Charles Wani, whom we profiled last month, she attended our November 2011 Lemkin Seminar.
Luate Charles Wani
Luate Charles Wani, Human Rights Officer for the South Sudanese Human Rights Commission, attended the November 2011 edition of the Global Lemkin Seminar for Genocide Prevention and has since become a global leader in the field.