Lori Amy
Email: lamy@georgiasouthern.edu
Lori Amy is a Professor in the Department of Writing and Linguistics at Georgia Southern University, where she researches and writes about the ways that violence writes our identities. At the moment she researches traumatic memory and identity under communism and in transition in Albania, a project for which she has conducted field work in Albania. Her current book project, Re-Membering in Transition: Trajectories of Violence, Structures of Denial, and the Struggle for Meaning in Post-Communist Albania, maps experiences of political violence across three generations in Albania, with particular attention to the transgenerational transmission of trauma and the intersection of the violences of totalitarianism and transition. Lori Amy has taught at the University of Tirana and has published extensively on Albania’s history and culture. She is also involved with the Albania-America Educational Network and speaks Shqip (Albanian).
Dimitris Dalakoglou
Email: d.dalakoglou@vu.nl
Professor Dalakoglou holds the Chair of Social Anthropology at VU University Amsterdam. He has had extensive research experience in Greece and Albania focusing on the anthropology of infrastructures, mobility and urban public spaces. He held an ESRC Future Research Leaders grant for the project ‘crisis-scapes’ which created the online map of racist attacks in Greece and he has published extensively on migration to Greece. His books include Roads and Anthropology, (2014, 2012) ; Revolt and Crisis in Greece (2011) and Crisis-scapes: Athens and Beyond (2014).
Sonya Landesmann
Email: sominska@btinternet.com
Sonya Landesmann is an intercultural psychoanalytic psychotherapist with training in medical anthropology as well as psychotherapy. She has special insight and understanding of how mental and emotional distress may be expressed by people from other cultures. Her specialist subjects are trauma, torture, conflict and war and she has experience in working with asylum seekers and refugees. Sonya Landesmann has written a great number of reports for human rights purposes on honour killings, honour issues, gangs, homosexuality, blood feuds, trafficking and domestic violence in Albania, her expertise on these issues, however, is not limited to Albania. Sonya Landesmann prepares both country expert reports offering a socio-cultural opinion and psycho-social reports offering a mental health assessment combined with a cultural and psychological opinion.
Dr Adrian R. Marsh
Email: romanistudies@mac.com
Dr Marsh gained his PhD in Romani Studies from Greenwich University (London), his MA (South East European Studies) from SOAS/SSEES and completed his BA Hons (1st) in East European History at SSEES, London. He has also been a Gypsy/Traveller Education Support Teacher in London. He teaches courses on Romani history and culture, trans-national forced migration, refugee studies and human rights and children’s rights in Turkey, Sweden, the UK, Albania, Kosovo, Rumania, Cyprus and Egypt. He is a frequent and accredited expert for the European Commission, Council of Europe and the European Parliament and has published widely on the issues of Roma rights and Romani children’s rights, Romani history, language and cultures. He has also been a consultant for a number of major NGO’s (European Roma Rights Centre, Save the Children, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly) and has produced many research reports in both capacities. He has also acted as an expert witness in a number of refugee cases involving Romani and Gypsy people from Turkey, the Balkans and Egypt seeking asylum in the UK. He is of English Romany-Traveller origins himself.
Erisa Dautaj Senerdem
Email: erisa.dautaj@gmail.com
Erisa Dautaj Senerdem is a full-time reporter at the London-based Argus Media. She has previously worked as an advisor at the Albanian parliament, assisting with an approximation of the country’s legislation to the EU acquis and has also instructed part-time at the New York University in Tirana. Having been brought up in Albania and given her previous experiences, she has an excellent understanding of human rights issues in Albania. Erisa Dautaj Senerdem has a distinct interest in migration and refugee-related issues has contributed actively in the improvement of law on asylum while working at the Albanian parliament in 2009 and has written extensively on human rights issues during her career as a journalist. She was also a coordinator for extensive research work on Africa in Istanbul. She can provide analyses in a wide variety of issues including children, woman, human rights, gender issues, blood feuds, honour killings, family violence and the like.
Dr Enkeleida Tahiraj
Email: Etahiraj@ucsd.edu
MA (Sussex), PhD (York)
Provided country expertise on Country of Origin (COI) issues on Albania since 2004, including human rights, socio-economic development and rule of law. Has been a Senior consultant for international organisations including the United Nations and the European Commission. Directed Alex Nash Program in Albanian Studies at University College London. Advised on Human Rights, Social Policy & Employment for the EU Delegation in Albania. Authored Commentary on 2012 Albania Country of Origin (COI) and Operational Guidance Note (OGN), for the UK Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (2013). Was visiting scholar at University of California San Diego and Penn State University, USA. Lectured and researched at University College London (UCL) and the London School of Economics. Has presented internationally and published extensively on rights and vulnerable groups in Albania.
Antonia Young
Email: A.T.I.Young@bradford.ac.uk
Antonia Young is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bradford, UK and a Research Associate at Colgate University, NY, USA. She holds a BA Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. Young has extensive experience in preparing COI expert reports (more than 500) and participation in Court Hearings.
You will be asked for a fee for preparing a COI expert report.
Vebi Kosumi
Email: info@albkos.co.uk / Website: www.albkos.co.uk
Vebi Kosumi is an international lawyer holding a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Law with International Relations from the University of Kent, the UK and a Law Degree (LLB) from the University of Prishtina, Kosovo. He is an international legal expert, author, and prominent leader in the international human rights movement. As the former Director of the Dover Detainee Visitor Group (Now Samphire) he led the support efforts to improve the treatment of asylum seekers, working across the UK to raise awareness in the community. Before serving as a Team Leader of Hestia – Modern Slavery Response Team (Anti-Human Trafficking) in Kent in 2017, he volunteered with the British Red Cross and Save the Children (London).
Vebi is accredited Country of Origin Witness Expert by Academy of Experts. He is a trustee of Music in Detention since 2006, board member of Kent Coast Volunteering (Connecting Communities in Dover, Thanet, Folkestone & Hythe. He was a trustee of the Asylum Aid (2013-2020), and the Migrant Resource Centre (changed name to Consonant), 2016-2020. Vebi has written over 100 country expert reports focusing mainly on Human Trafficking, blood feud, honour, mafia risk of harm and other issues. Covering countries: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia (Presevo Valley). Fluent in Albanian, Serbian, and English languages. Free initial assessment of the case. Some pro bono work may be taken.