Geneva International Centre for Justice Independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization Independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization
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2019-2020

Laura Calderón Pachón

Colombia

Laura joined the GICJ team in November 2020. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, she is currently studying Law with an emphasis in Journalism and Public opinion at Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá, D.C. During her semester abroad at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, she followed Journalism and International Law related courses. She´s been working as a teacher’s assistant for lawyers in Colombia in courses such as: state structure, territories, principles and public finances. She has been involved with international investigation committee´s in moot court competitions and has volunteered with social issues in her country for the past seven years. She has experience in handling legal cases, reviewing legal documents in public hearings and researching. She has a great capacity for oral, digital and written communication with advocacy for decision-making and conflict resolution. Now, through her internship at GICJ, she hopes to learn about the international situations and try to speak for those whom voices aren't heard. She speaks English, Spanish and French.

Alejandro Fernández

Argentina

Alejandro joined the GICJ in November 2020. He holds a Law degree from the University of Buenos Aires with an orientation in Criminal and Public International Law. He also pursued courses on juvenile delinquency and critical race theory during an exchange semester in Boston University School of Law. In 2018, he completed American University’s Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, which expanded his insight into the Inter-American and Universal human rights mechanisms. After working in the Buenos Aires court system for two years, he was admitted to the University of Groningen International Human Rights Law LLM programme, where he graduated cum laude. He has contributed to several research projects and collaborative publications on business and human rights, indigenous peoples in Latin America and LGBT rights, among other topics. He hopes his internship with the GICJ will give him a first-hand approach into human rights advocacy from civil society and thus enable him to develop a career focused on the protection of human rights.

Diletta Deli

Switzerland/Italy

Diletta joined the GICJ team in September 2020. Born in Italy and raised in Switzerland, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Zürich and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the American University in Washington D.C. Diletta is interested in research, advocacy and policy analysis, and has previous international experience with NGOs, civil society organizations, and the United Nations in the field of migration, human rights and humanitarian crises. With GICJ, Diletta looks forward to enhancing her knowledge in the field of human rights and international law, as well as to getting familiar with and contributing to the work of international human rights bodies. She speaks English, Spanish and Italian fluently, and is currently learning French.

Nina Guibere

France

Nina joined the GICJ team in August 2020. She is now pursuing a Professional Master of Laws in International Administration at the Sorbonne. She holds a dual Bachelor of Laws in French law and Common law, as well as a bilingual Master of Laws in international and European law from Nanterre University. Throughout her studies, Nina has gotten involved in different projects, such as the Paris International Model United Nations for which she served as Deputy Secretary-General in 2019. She previously interned at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France before moving to Riga in order to work at the Embassy of France in Latvia. Through her work with GICJ, Nina is thrilled to get an even deeper insight into the practice of international human rights law. Her main areas of interest are gender equality, diplomacy, and questions related to Eastern Europe. Nina speaks French, English, Spanish and has a reading knowledge of a couple of other languages.

Malina Gepp

Austria

Malina joined the GICJ team in September 2020. She was born in Austria, but lived in Switzerland for most of her childhood. She holds a Bachelor of Laws in International and European Law from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. During her exchange semester at the University of Copenhagen she followed advanced classes in international criminal law and international humanitarian law, and developed a keen interest for these areas of law. She took additional courses in cultural engagement and diplomacy, in order to be able to perform well in an international and multicultural environment. Malina looks forward to gaining experience in the field of human rights law, as well as grasping the functioning of international organizations and global diplomacy. She speaks German, English, Dutch and French.

Marisa Félix

Portugal

Marisa has joined the GICJ team in September 2020. Born in Switzerland and raised in Portugal, she has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Relations at the University of Beira Interior. During her university studies, she spent an exchange semester at the University of Valladolid, in Spain, and also volunteered for the Erasmus Student Network of Castelo Branco. Marisa is excited with this opportunity to gain not only knowledge but also experience and competences in the field of human rights and in the international community, fields in which she has always been immensely interested and captivated, because of her personal and professional experiences. She speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and German.


Hannah Bludau

Germany

Hannah joined the GICJ team in August 2020. Born and raised just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, Hannah has been living in Europe for the past six years. Hannah is pursuing an Erasmus Mundus Master of Excellence in Euroculture at both Uppsala University and Strasbourg University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cultural Studies from the University of Koblenz-Landau. During her university studies, Hannah has volunteered for the Grassroots Law Project Team, researching cases of police brutality and excessive force in U.S. police departments. In her internship with GICJ, Hannah looks forward to gaining experience in the field of human rights and deepening her knowledge of international law and human rights law as a whole. Hannah speaks English, German and French.

Diane Gourdain

France

Diane has joined  GICJ team as an intern in August 2020. Born and raised in Paris, France, she did a Bachelor’s in International Business Administration at Rotterdam School of Management, in the Netherlands. Through various volunteering experiences she had with NGOs next to her studies, and after spending an exchange semester at Thammasat University, in Thailand, where she followed human rights-related courses, she developed a keen interest in international development and human rights. Now, through her internship at GICJ, she hopes to deepen her knowledge in those fields. She speaks French, English, German and Italian.

Razan al-Shammari

Sweden / Iraq

Razan has joined the GICJ team in July 2020 from Malmo, Sweden. She is currently studying Peace and Conflict Studies at Lund University. Born in Iraq, to live in Syria and then reunited with her family in Sweden, Razan has developed a keen interest in human rights, migration, refugees, war and peace. She has worked with the UNHCR and gained experience in the field of human rights of refugees. Given the opportunity to work with GICJ, she is excited to gain more knowledge of human rights law and international humanitarian law. She speaks English, Swedish, and Arabic fluently.

Augustine Sokimi

Fiji

Augustine joined GICJ in May 2020 and is keenly interested in civil society’s engagement with states and international governance systems to advance various human rights causes. Augustine is pursuing a Master of Advanced Studies in European and International Governance with the University of Geneva. He holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, as well as bachelor’s degrees in law and economics from the University of the South Pacific. Augustine practiced law in Fiji as a barrister and solicitor for several years before moving to Geneva in December 2017.

Leena Abdelmoity

Egypt / USA

Leena Abdelmoity started interning with GICJ May 2020 and is an honors undergraduate student majoring in political science and global & international studies with minors in economics, Middle East studies, and Arabic at the University of Kansas. She has an extensive background with human rights work. She is currently the founder and CEO of Light for Refugees Foundation: a nonprofit that aims to give refugees in camps solar light, and the Regional Leader for the United Nations Foundation’s gender equality initiative: Girl Up. Previously, Leena has worked with the Obama Foundation and was featured in a video advocating for gender equality in education. Because of her internationally recognized human rights efforts, Leena was invited by the former President of the UN General Assembly and the current president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to be a delegate for the 2020 UN Youth Plenary and the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum. Leena is fluent in English and Arabic and is near-fluent in Spanish. After her undergraduate degree, Leena strives to attend law school to become an international lawyer.

Leena,  joined GICJ to learn more about international humanitarian law and UN mechanisms. She also wanted to be a part of this organization because of its impressive and effective history of advocacy and other human rights work. She hope to bring awareness to various human rights abuses so that the UN and the international community at large can help vulnerable populations.

Dhruti Chakravarthi

India

Dhruti joined the GICJ team as intern in May 2020. She is a final year student at the University of Edinburgh pursuing an integrated MA (Hons) in Sustainable Development with Social Anthropology. Dhruti has a strong interest in access to education with human rights — particularly in the context of South Asia. She has previously interned with the Asia-Europe Foundation in Singapore, having organised and moderated Higher Education conferences across Romania, UK and Spain. She has previously conducted a research project for the High Commission of Rwanda in alleviating genocide victims be enabling access to education. In 2018, she was designated as a Climate Reality Leader by Former US Vice President Al Gore. She has led sustainability audits at Kings College London and is now starting her own organisation, aimed at equipping students with auditing skills and an interdisciplinary knowledge of sustainability. Dhruti looks forward to enhancing her experience with human rights through her internship at GICJ.

Nicole Gonzalez

Ecuador / United States

Born in Ecuador and raised in the United States, Nicole is now a masters’ student at The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies here in Geneva. She is currently finishing her first year, studying international relations and political science. She developed a keen interest in human rights and migration when she had the opportunity to intern with the federal children’s bureau in New York. Nicole is excited to have the opportunity to work with the GICJ in order to deepen her understanding of human rights law and advocacy with the organization’s more hands-on approach. She speaks English, Spanish, and French.

Mathieu James Fournier

Switzerland / United States

Mathieu is an American attorney with US and Swiss citizenship.  He has a strong international background, from a childhood spent in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. After obtaining his Masters in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, he spent his first professional experiences as an intern for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Sarajevo and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. He then received his Jurist Doctor from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. and subsequently worked in the corporate and commercial law field. Mathieu is a native French and English speaker. He joined GICJ in January 2020.

Eva Kehoe

 Czech Republic

Eva joined GICJ in October 2019. She completed Master’s degree in International and Comparative Law at the University of Leeds, UK and PGCE at the University of Chichester, UK. She has worked in Criminal Justice in the UK and in the educational system in the UK and in Belgium. Through her work with GICJ Eva is looking forward to increasing her knowledge of Human Rights, Global Governance and Sustainability. She is especially interested in equality, international development and education. In addition, Eva hopes to expand her understanding of current global approaches to human rights and environmental issues. She speaks English, French, Czech and Slovak.  A keen athlete, she enjoys running, skiing, cycling and swimming.

Natalia Brusco

United States of America

Natalia joined the GICJ team in May 2020 from Berkeley, California. She is currently in her fourth year at UC Berkeley studying Global Studies, Italian, and Human Rights. Natalia is excited to have the opportunity to further her knowledge and research skills on international humanitarian law with GICJ. Her interest in laws pertaining to human rights began when she met refugees from Afghanistan when studying in Eastern Europe. Since then, she has studied other complex human rights issues such as human trafficking, terrorism, and genocides. She is looking to enhance her experience with human rights by immersing herself in a community passionate about solving them.

 Marcel Florian Loehr

Germany

 Marcel joined GICJ in January 2020. The internship is part the University of Malmo’s education leading up to a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. He also finished an extracurricular semester in International law and hopes to gain more insights in the issue area of human rights over the course of his internship. Before attending University, Marcel travelled and worked across Oceania and South East Asia where he started developing keen interest for human rights and the global political economy.

Rachel Kyes

United States of America

Rachel joined GICJ in June 2020. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in International Studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, where she is the incoming Deputy Director of the Human Trafficking Center. Prior to Korbel, she attended the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and previously held internships at the U.S. Department of State, Verité, and the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Her principal areas of interest include trafficking-in-persons, gender equality, and democratic access. She is excited to work with the GICJ to gain tailored knowledge on advocacy practices within international human rights mechanisms.

Mutua K. Kobia

Kenya / Switzerland

Mutua Kobia joined GICJ in January 2017. After graduating with a Master Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Geneva School of Diplomacy (2013) in Geneva, Switzerland, Mutua has been very active in the NGO Community in Geneva. Gender relations, the environment, and indigenous communities has been the interest and focus of much of his work particularly at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Mutua also holds a Bachelor of Philosophy from Hope College, Holland, Michigan. He intends to expand his knowledge in the field of human rights, international law, and justice as well as taking a more hands on approach and involvement with grass roots work and local on-the-ground projects.

Charlotte Taillon

 Finland / Canada

Charlotte joined GICJ in January 2019. She is doing her Master Degree in International Law at Robert Gordon’s University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and holds a Bachelor Degree in International Law and European Union Law. During her university studies, she has worked with several NGOs specialized in human rights.  Before moving to Geneva she worked as Senior Legal Trainee at the Finnish Refugee Advice Center, a non-governmental law firm specialized in Asylum Law, where she conducted legal analysis and prepared different reports concerning international human rights violations. She is very passionate about refugee law, human rights law and international humanitarian law. She is particularly interested in women’s and children’s right and human trafficking issues. She speaks English, French, Finnish, Italian and Swedish.

Elizabeth Leach

United States

Elizabeth (E-Beth) Leach has joined the GICJ team coming all the way from Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently in her third year at Boston University studying International Relations and Arabic. After finishing a semester abroad in Rabat, Morocco studying the history of Islam and security in the Middle East and North Africa, she decided to continue her studies of public international law in Geneva. What excites her about working with the team is the opportunity to research global human rights issues, as she is extremely passionate about the right to quality education, eliminating all forms of discrimination, and gender equality. One of E-Beth's favorite things to do is to travel and taste new cuisines while learning about the cultures from which it originates!

Alex Hassan Rendón Terrazas

Bolivia

Alex Hassan Rendón Terrazas is a licensed attorney in Bolivia. He graduated from the Universidad San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca in Bolivia, studied political science at l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Rennes in France, and completed the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at the American University - Washington College of Law in the USA. Alex has been volunteering for GICJ since October 2019. He is motivated to learn more about the Universal System of Human Rights, international human rights law and international refugee law.

Valentina Ferreira Gutierrez

Chile

Valentina joined GICJ in August 2019. She completed a master’s degree in Foundations and Practices of Sustainability at the University of Lausanne. During her studies, she developed a keen interest in indigenous people’s cultures by working with associations defending the rights of the Mapuche people in Southern Chile and Argentina. She decided then to focus her final research on the animist view of the world by indigenous peoples and shamanism as a relational knowledge. Her principal areas of interest are human rights of indigenous peoples, women and LGBTQI+ people, but wishes to expand to a broader perspective by working at GICJ especially on racism, right to development and human rights during armed conflicts.

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