Dr Frederick Laker
Email: lakerfrederick@gmail.com
Dr Frederick Laker gained his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics & Political Science and his MA and BA in War Studies from King’s College London. He has lectured at LSE, UCL, Queen Mary, SOAS, Royal Holloway University, University of Turin and the University of Cape Town. Dr Laker’s areas of focus include complex humanitarian emergencies, forced migration, genocide and crimes against humanity, terrorism, civil war, strategic studies, security and development, and global governance. Dr Laker is currently accredited as a Conflict Advisor, by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). Dr Laker has worked on Uganda for over 20 years and has extensive experience engaging with Ugandan government political and legal officials, military commanders, academic, journalists, religious communities, and a raft of civil society actors. Dr Laker has worked in many refugee and IDP camps and witnessed first-hand the conditions and treatment of asylum seekers.
Having been born in Uganda and travelled the length and breadth of the country, Dr Laker is aware of the historical, political and socio-cultural dynamics. Dr Laker is qualified to make comments on issues that include:
LGBTQ, Sexual Violence, Torture, Electoral Violence, Human Rights Conditions, State Security Forces, Safe Houses, Mob Justice, Political Violence, Internal Relocation, Ethnic Violence, Gender Based Violence, Prison Conditions, Witchcraft, Access to Health Care, Organised Crime, Corruption, Refugee Escape and Evasion, Opposition Groups, and the Criminal Justice System.
Dr Laker has written over 30 expert reports and given testimony in immigration courts and tribunals in the UK, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, and Europe. He is also available for document authentication, in-country document certification, in-country document retrieval, and other in-country enquiries on behalf of the court/tribunal. Dr Laker is fully cognisant with the duties and responsibilities of an expert witness to the courts.
Dr Harry Verhoeven
Email: harryverhoeven33@gmail.com
Harry Verhoeven is the Convenor of the Oxford University China-Africa Network, an Associate Member of the Department of Politics & International Relations at the University of Oxford and a Senior Adviser to the European Institute of Peace. Prof Verhoeven completed a doctorate at the University of Oxford, where he subsequently was a postdoctoral fellow and a Junior Research Fellow. He is the author and editor of five books and deeply invested in the human rights of individuals and communities in the countries where he works.
Laura Young, JD, MPH
Email: prorightsllp@gmail.com
Laura is a US-trained human rights lawyer based in Nairobi, Kenya who works across sub-Saharan Africa as a consultant on governance and human rights for USAID, the UN, governments, and international NGOs. Laura has published numerous articles and reports focused on conflict dynamics, gender, minority rights, transitional justice, migration, health, and other human rights issues in the African context. Laura has provided expert input for immigration and asylum cases in both the US and UK, focused on LGBT, FGM/C, domestic violence, trafficking, access to health services (including mental health and HIV), ex-combatants, ethnic minorities, disability access, police protection, and other key issues.
Dr Hazel Cameron
Dr Cameron has academic expertise in East African and Southern African administrative, political, economic and social issues, with a specific focus on Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Uganda and South Africa. She has over thirty years of experience providing expert witness testimony at criminal and civil courts of law in the UK and abroad, including the Torture Claims Appeal Board, Hong Kong. She is fully conversant with the duties and responsibilities of an expert witness to the court. The expert is a critical criminologist with a particular research interest in state crime including genocide, crimes against humanity and other gross violations of human rights. She is qualified to provide comments on issues that include Abortion| Asylum| Country Case Law| Crimes Against Humanity| Criminal Justice System| Document Authentication| Disability| Domestic Violence| Education| Election Violence| Employment| Ethnic Groups| Ethnic Violence| Food Security| Gender Based Violence| Genocide| Gross Violations of Human Rights| Health Care Availability| Health Insurance| Housing| Human Trafficking| Internal Relocation| Language| LGBTI| Mental Health Services| Organised Crime| Opposition Politics| Policing| Political Violence| Prison Conditions| Refugees| Risks on Return| Sexual Violence| Social Groups| State Security Forces| State Sponsored Violence| Sufficiency of Protection| Torture| Witchcraft| Witness Protection|
She is also available for document authentication, in-country document certification, in-country document retrieval, and other in-country enquiries on behalf of the court/tribunal.
Her research to date has received regional, national and international media attention. Multiple live television and radio interviews have been undertaken with Sky news; France 24; TVR; South Africa Broadcasting Corporation; Chinese television; Australian television; Euronews; Channel 4; British Forces Radio; Russian Television, BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, and BBC Radio Scotland. Research has featured in newspaper articles around the globe, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the USA.
Dr. Michael Jennings
Email: mj10@soas.ac.uk
Michael Jennings is Chair of the Centre of African Studies, and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS. He works on Tanzanian politics and society, and on East African politics more widely. Dr Jennings has written reports for use in courts on politics and political violence, domestic violence and gender issues, and issues around homophobia and sexuality-based violence in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.