Founder and Affiliated Experts

Dr. Benafsha Yaqoobi is a civil society and human rights activist. Born in Kabul, she is the founder of the Organization of Rahyab for Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (ORRSB) in Afghanistan, served as an attorney for the elimination of violence against women until 2019, and was a Commissioner of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. research degree in sociology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and is the founder and director of The Rahyab Initiative, UK. Since the political changes in Afghanistan in 2021, she has consistently used every available platform to emphasize to the international community the critical importance of including Afghan women in national peace-building processes.

Her recent achievements include: honorary lecturer at Afghanistan’s online university, registered in the Netherlands and Germany (2025); member of the team of prosecutors presenting Afghanistan’s case before the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, an international opinion tribunal (2025); completion of a Ph.D. research degree in political science from Lovely Professional University, India, with a thesis on democratic governance and its impact on women’s political rights in Afghanistan, 2001–2021 (2024); the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award (2024), in recognition of her advocacy for the rights of women, particularly women with disabilities, in Afghanistan; the Human Rights Watch Marca Bristo Fellowship (2022); and selection to the BBC’s 100 Women list (2021).

She holds a master’s degree in political science from Payam-e-Nour University, Kabul (2018), and a second master’s degree in international relations from the Afghanistan Institute of Higher Education, Kabul.

Ehsan Qaane is a senior Afghanistan researcher, legal-policy analyst, transitional justice expert, and human rights practitioner with more than fifteen years of experience in international justice, human rights, governance, conflict, transitional justice, and accountability. His career has included research and leadership roles with the Afghanistan Analysts Network, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, the International Centre for Transitional Justice, and the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation, as well as assignments with UN agencies and the Nuremberg Principles Academy. He also served as a Visiting Professional with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Qaane has authored or co-authored more than fifty research papers, policy analyses, and briefings on Afghanistan, including work on international criminal justice, human rights accountability, transitional justice, gender equality, conflict, governance, and displacement. His recent research has focused particularly on accountability for serious human rights violations in Afghanistan, gender persecution, the ICC’s Afghanistan investigation, and the legal avenues available to Afghan victims and survivors.

He holds a master’s degree in Public International Law and a Bachelor of Laws from Kateb University, and has undertaken advanced courses in human rights, democratisation, and criminal investigation through the Global Campus of Human Rights, Maastricht University, Lund University, and the Institute for International Criminal Investigations. Based in Copenhagen, his work connects rigorous research and legal analysis with practical policy, institutional engagement, and international accountability.

Ghizal Haress was Afghanistan’s first Ombudsperson (2019–2021), where she led anti-corruption efforts and investigated abuses of power at the highest levels of government. Previously, as a parliament-confirmed Commissioner of Afghanistan’s Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution (2016–2019), she worked to safeguard constitutional rights, strengthen constitutional governance, and promote a culture of constitutionalism in the face of significant political resistance.

She has been a faculty member at the American University of Afghanistan since 2012, including three years as Chair of the Department of Law (2016–2019). From 2022 to 2024 she was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She is currently Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Department of Political Science, and at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, where she teaches rule of law in post-conflict governance and comparative constitutionalism. Since 2023 she has directed the Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program at Massey College, and in 2025 she served as a judge of the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan.

She holds an LL.B. from Kabul University and an LL.M. from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Ghulam Hassan Gran is an Afghan government official, politician, and lawyer who served as Director of Political, Cultural and Public Affairs at the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from July 2020 until August 2021. He previously served as Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Interior Affairs for Policy and Strategic Affairs from 2016 to 2020, and from 2013 to 2015 as Senior Legal and Education Quality Advisor to the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan.

Mr. Gran served as Secretary General of the Wolesi Jirga (House of the People) of the National Assembly of Afghanistan, at ministerial level, from 2004 to 2011. He drafted the Rules of Procedure and other parliamentary internal rules and procedures for both houses of the National Assembly. During his tenure as Secretary General, he led a range of efforts to institutionalize the legislature in Afghanistan.

Before the reopening of the Afghan parliament (the previous parliament had been closed in 1973 after the coup d’état led by Mohammad Daoud Khan), he was Director of Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs for one year. From 1978 to 1991, Mr. Gran worked in administrative and legal posts in the Ministry of Interior Affairs, and from 1994 to 1996 served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister of Interior. He has participated in regional and international conferences across Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. He currently lives in France.

Hijratullah Safi is a Ph.D. candidate at Paderborn University, Germany. From 2023 to 2025 he was a Research Scholar at Technische Universität Dortmund, Germany. He holds an LL.M. in Asian and Comparative Law from the University of Washington School of Law (2016) and an LL.B. from Nangarhar University, Afghanistan (2011), where he subsequently taught for nearly a decade.

During his tenure at Nangarhar University, Safi chaired curriculum committees and led several academic initiatives, including serving as Head of the Night Shift Program. He has held leadership positions with the Afghan-US Law Alumni Association (ALAA), including Program Officer and Deputy Director, and served for two years as Deputy Director of the Afghanistan Law and Political Science Association (ALPA).

Safi is the author of several books and academic articles in Pashto, Dari, and English. His publications include Legal Research and Writing (Pashto and Dari) and The Principles and Methods of Legislation in Islamic Fiqh and Statutory Law (Dari). His article “Ensuring Compensation for Wrongful Detention and Wrongful Imprisonment in Afghanistan” was published in the California Western International Law Journal. His research and writing have also addressed war crimes, crimes against humanity, amnesty law, transitional justice, and related questions of accountability in Afghanistan. He has presented his research at academic conferences and forums in Afghanistan, the United States, and Germany, as well as on international academic platforms online, and is a member of the editorial board of an academic journal in Germany.

Safi has collaborated with international organizations and institutions including the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Checchi/USAID, the Max Planck Foundation, and The Asia Foundation, serving as Counselling Officer, Legal Writing Trainer, Legal Translator, and Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Expert.

His academic and professional work spans law and governance, social control, morality, power and legitimacy, transitional justice, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and accountability, with a particular focus on Afghanistan. It combines academic research, institutional leadership, and practical engagement with legal and governance issues, with a broader focus on justice, accountability, and the rule of law.

Judge Homa Alizoy is a former judge of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan, a legal professional, and a human rights advocate with more than three decades of experience in Afghanistan’s judicial system. She served in various capacities, including as a judge of the Public Security, Family, and Juvenile Courts and as Legal Advisor to the Supreme Court. She holds a master’s degree in Criminal Law and Criminology (2018) and a bachelor’s degree in law and political science from Kabul University, along with specialized judicial training through the Judicial Training Center and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).

Judge Alizoy has served on legislative drafting committees within Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Women’s Affairs and contributed to the development of major legislation concerning criminal justice, family law, policing, anti-money laundering, violence against women, juvenile justice, and children’s rights. She has also been involved in constitutional law research and advocacy.

Internationally, Judge Alizoy was twice nominated for the N-Peace Awards as a Peace Champion and Outstanding Peacebuilder. She has participated in international forums including the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York and the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where she advocated for the rights of women and children in Afghanistan. She has received numerous national and international awards and was honored with the title “Al-Mustashar” (Counselor) by Egypt’s Ministry of Justice.

Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Judge Alizoy relocated to Belgium. Since April 2026 she has served as a volunteer interpreter with XPLO, and she currently serves on the Afghan Advisory Committee of the Humanitarian Welfare Association in Antwerp and the Technical Committee of Afghan Women Coordination. She is proficient in Dari, Pashto, English, and Urdu and is currently learning Dutch.

Professor Islamuddin Firoz is a scholar of Afghan traditional music with 27 years of experience in higher education, academic research, and professional practice. His areas of expertise include ethnomusicology, music history, composition, and orchestral conducting. From 1994 to 2021 he taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kabul University, where he held a range of academic and administrative positions, including Head of the Department of Music (2002–2017). He also served on Kabul University’s Publications Committee (2015–2021), the Research Commission of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education (2018–2021), Kabul University’s Academic Council (2014–2021), and the Master’s Board of the Faculty of Fine Arts (2018–2021).

Professor Firoz holds a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in Audiovisual Arts, both from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kabul University, and holds the academic rank of Professor. From 2015 to 2018 he took part in Afghan musicology programs in collaboration with the Franz Liszt School of Music in Weimar, Germany, and from 2012 to 2016 he worked with the Aga Khan Foundation on the recording and documentation of Afghan folk songs. From 2022 to 2024 he continued this research through an academic collaboration with the Department of Music at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. He has authored numerous scholarly publications, primarily in Persian and some in English, and has taken part in a wide range of national and international research projects and conferences.

Dr. Mahir Hazim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Weber State University, where he teaches law courses to undergraduate and graduate students. Previously, he served as an Acting Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Law, where he continues to hold an appointment as an Affiliate Assistant Professor. Before that, he was a Visiting Associate Research Professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

He has also taught law and political science courses at several universities, including Alberoni University in Afghanistan. Dr. Hazim practiced law in Afghanistan and worked with numerous national and international development organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Afghanistan Legal Research and Development Organization, the International Development Law Organization, Global Rights—Partners for Justice, and the Justice for All Organization. In these roles he managed development programs focused on human rights, the rule of law, good governance, institutional and judicial reform, higher education, and capacity building. He completed his Ph.D. (2020) and his LL.M. (2016) at the University of Washington School of Law, where he also served on the editorial board of the Washington International Law Journal.

Dr. Mohammad Ayub Yusufzai is a scholar of constitutional law and human rights with more than twenty-five years of academic, research, and policy experience. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Constitutional Law from Lovely Professional University (LPU), India, with research focusing on constitutional review mechanisms, and an LL.M. from the University of Washington School of Law, USA.

Dr. Yusufzai served as an Assistant Professor at Kabul University and Balkh University, where he taught constitutional law, comparative constitutional law, administrative law, human rights, and legal research. He has also held senior leadership positions, including Commissioner and Head of the Research and Policy Unit at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), contributing to human rights research, policy development, and institutional governance.

He has been a Visiting Researcher at the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), Utrecht University, and is currently affiliated with the Human Rights Centre (Stichting Netimpact) in The Hague as a Human Rights Researcher. His research interests include comparative constitutional law, constitutional adjudication, the rule of law, democratic governance, and international human rights, with a particular focus on Afghanistan and comparative legal systems.

Dr. Yusufzai has extensive experience in legal education, policy-oriented research, professional training, and collaboration with international organizations. He is committed to advancing interdisciplinary scholarship and evidence-based policymaking through research, teaching, and academic engagement. A comprehensive list of his publications, research articles, book chapters, and other scholarly contributions is available on his ORCID profile (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4419-0219).

Abdul Bashir Bakhshi is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Sharia) at Kabul University, a defense attorney, and a member of the Leadership Council of the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association. He is also a poet and writer.

Dr. Bakhshi holds a B.A. in Islamic Studies (2010) and an M.A. in Islamic Law (2014), both from Kabul University. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Islamic Philosophy at Ankara University, Turkey. His academic research focuses particularly on Islamic philosophy, theology, and contemporary intellectual issues in Afghanistan and the region.

He has extensive experience in legal practice and legal education. A member of the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association (AIBA) since 2011, he has voluntarily handled more than 100 civil and criminal cases, primarily for indigent clients. He has also served in various capacities at AIBA, including managing the Citizens Legal Advocacy Office, working as a Media and Communication Specialist and chief editor of Wekalat (the AIBA journal), and providing legal training in civil and criminal procedure.

Dr. Bakhshi has published seven books and approximately 100 articles in academic journals and other publications in Afghanistan and Iran, with some of his works translated into Turkish and Pashto. His publications address religious enlightenment, Islamic thought, philosophy, Islamic law, and contemporary intellectual questions. His doctoral research is titled The Fundamental Sources of Avicenna's Philosophical Epistemology.

He is proficient in Dari/Persian (native), Pashto, English, Arabic, and Turkish, and has B2-level proficiency in German.

Professor Dr. Mohammad Salim is an Afghan legal scholar, university professor, lawyer, and researcher with more than three decades of experience in higher education, Islamic law, legal studies, and academic leadership. He served at Kabul University’s Faculty of Sharia from 1993 to 2025 and held several senior positions, including Deputy Dean (2003–2019) and Acting Dean (2004–2005). He also served as Assistant Director and Director of the Legal Clinics of the Faculties of Law and Sharia from 2012 to 2019.

Dr. Salim holds a bachelor’s degree in Sharia and a master’s degree in Islamic law, both from Kabul University, and a Ph.D. in Islamic Thought and Muslim Societies, with a concentration in Islamic Banking, from the State Islamic University of Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He has also undertaken advanced academic and professional programs at institutions including the University of Washington School of Law, the Max Planck Institute, the University of Perugia, the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and other international institutions.

His areas of expertise include Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic banking and finance, comparative law, Arabic linguistics, and Muslim societies and legal systems. He has authored books, academic theses, and numerous scholarly articles in Arabic, Pashto, and English, and has participated in international academic research and conferences. In addition to his academic career, Dr. Salim has professional experience as a lawyer and has been a member of the Afghan Lawyers Association. His academic and professional work has focused particularly on legal education, access to justice, Islamic jurisprudence, and the development of legal scholarship in Afghanistan and internationally. Since 2025 he has been engaged in postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Nusratullah Nabeel Rahimi is a legal scholar focused on human rights law in general and refugee law in particular, working within a legal-theoretical framework to connect the theory and practice of law, uphold fundamental rights, and contribute to fair policies grounded in equality, human dignity, and the rule of law.

He is currently a Ph.D. student in law at the University of Warwick, England, where his research examines an unsettled legal-theoretical debate: Westphalian sovereignty versus refugee movement. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Law from the University of Tabriz, Iran (with distinction, 2025), with a dissertation on the possibility of a paradigm in public law — legal positivism versus post-legal positivism; an LL.M. in International Human Rights from the University of Sunderland, England (with distinction, 2024); a master’s degree in Public Law from Bu Ali-Sina University, Iran (with distinction, 2020); and a bachelor’s degree in Administration and Diplomacy from Balkh State University, Afghanistan (with distinction, 2015).

Dr. Rahimi is a Legal Researcher with the Laciverd Yolu Research Centre and a member of the Afghanistan Constitutional Law Experts Group of the Centre for Dialogue and Progress of Geneva (CDP-G). He has served as a Legal Consultant to the Eurasian Doctoral Student Academy, lectured in human rights and constitutional law at Dunya University, and worked as a researcher at Balkh State University, where he coached the university’s Jessup International Law and Mass Media Law moot court teams and assisted the Bayan-e-Haq Law Journal. He has also volunteered with Friends of the Drop-in for Asylum Seekers and Refugees (FODI) in the UK.

He is co-author of Electoral Systems (University of Tabriz Press, 2024), which received the Best Persian Legal Book Award from ALPA-in-Exile at American University, Washington, DC, and has published on refugee law, public law theory, and electoral systems in English and Persian, including in the Sunderland Journal of Law and Criminology and the Journal of Public Law Research. He works in English, Persian, Pashto, Turkish, and Uzbek.

Rahraw Omarzad is a pioneering Afghan artist, writer, and educator. Born in Kabul in 1964, he lives in Frankfurt, Germany. His video art has been exhibited globally, including at documenta 13 in Kassel, and is held in collections including the Asia Society Museum in New York and Castello di Rivoli in Turin.

Omarzad taught at Kabul University’s Faculty of Fine Arts from 1991 to 1992 and from 2002 to 2021. He founded the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in 2004 and the country’s only Women’s Art Center in 2006. He also established the Studio of Contemporary Arts at Kabul University and, in 2021, the Ostad Brashna Art Training Center.

He served on Afghanistan’s High Council of Arts (2012–2021), joined Whitechapel Gallery’s Artists’ Film International as a curator (2014), and became a member of IKT, the International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art (2016).

In August 2021 Omarzad relocated to Turin, Italy, where he held a residency at Castello di Rivoli and taught at the Albertina Academy. In 2022 he moved to Germany, teaching at the Städelschule in Frankfurt and later co-founding CCAA in eXiLe e.V. in Frankfurt. He currently teaches at HfG Offenbach.

As chief editor, he personally financed the publication of Ayar magazine in 1995, taking a bold stance against cruelty and injustice, and played a crucial role in the publication of Payam-e-Sulh (Message of Peace) magazine in 1996. He also founded the art magazine Gahnama-e-Hunar (1999–2007).

His notable publications include New Perspective, a catalogue of Afghan women’s contemporary art (2010), “Every Tiger Needs a Horse,” “The Ups and Downs of Afghan Art,” “The Beginning of the Third Artistic Change in Afghanistan,” and other articles.

Shoaib Timory is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Law at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). He joined AUAF in March 2014 and has taught public international law, administrative law, labor law, contract law, constitutional law, informal justice systems, commercial law, and UN and multilateral diplomacy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law and political science from Kabul University and an LL.M. from the George Washington University, and is a candidate for the Executive MBA at the University of Geneva (2024–2026). He has published articles on judicial independence, judicial review, and other constitutional topics.

In addition to teaching, Mr. Timory has worked in various positions in government, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations. At UNDP he led the portfolio of sub-national governance and development; in government he oversaw coordination and legal affairs.

Mr. Timory also worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, where he was the lead author of the 2011 Afghan government report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. From 2019 to 2021 he served as a diplomat at the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations in Geneva, where he led the Group of 77 and China in the negotiations on the outcome document of the 15th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in 2021.