Our team of experts has over 100 years of combined experience in the field of human rights development in the post-Soviet countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).

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Our experts are reputable scholars, practitioners and human rights activists with deep knowledge of the legal system, government and political situation in the given countries and international mechanisms, including Interpol Red Notices. Experts affiliate with academic institutions and think tanks in the U.S. and abroad, won cases at the European Court for Human Rights, and collaborated with opposition movements and diaspora, as well as with leading advocacy organizations.

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We pride ourselves on staying up-to-date with the latest developments in post-Soviet countries and sharing that knowledge with our clients. 

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The group of experts is led by Stanislav Stanskikh, a constitutional scholar and human rights advocate who focuses on the Russian legal system, human rights and political repression. He is an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies of Harvard University and a Research Fellow at the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and Eastern European Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His expert opinions on Russian country conditions have been admitted at USCIS and recognized as credible and probative by the U.S. immigration courts. Among the issues addressed in his analyses are severe and systemic human rights violations in Russia, including the persecution of dissent​ (e.g., activists with anti-Putin, pro-Navalny, anti-corruption and anti-war political opinions​); the application of anti-extremism and war-censorship legislation; discrimination and violence against LGBT individuals; attacks on ethnic minorities (such as Central Asians and North Caucasians) and religious minorities (including Baptists and Jehovah’s Witnesses); forced mobilization for the war in Ukraine​, hazing and ill-treatment in the Russian Army and gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation (FGM).​ His work also examines internal relocation and its feasibility, acquittal rates, risks faced by deportees from the United States and returnees, in absentia criminal convictions, as well as detention conditions and government surveillance of activists both inside Russia and abroad. He further analyzes the tools of political repression employed by the Russian ​authorities, including torture, punitive psychiatric confinement and deprivation of parental rights.

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Central Asia coordinator - Leila Seiitbek, a human rights defender and legal expert specializing in political repression, corruption, women’s rights, and violence against women and girls in Central Asia. She is the Chairwoman of Freedom for Eurasia, an Austria-based advocacy organization, whose research is cited in the U.S. Department of State human rights reports and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s annual reports. She works closely with a network of activists across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to document political persecution, transnational repression and human rights abuses. Her investigative work and commentary have been featured by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, OCCRP and other major outlets. She has presented the results of her investigations and research at the U.N., the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and collaborated with U.S. embassies, the Department of State and the Department of Defense.

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Belarus coordinator - Vitali Shkliarov, PhD, a grassroots activist, political scientist and former political prisoner with extensive expertise in Belarusian affairs. He has worked on opposition campaigns across Eastern Europe and advised democratic movements in authoritarian contexts. Shkliarov has presented the results of his research at leading institutions, including Harvard University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Georgetown University and the Wilson Center. He contributed to major outlets such as Forbes, CNN, Foreign Policy, and The Hill. His arrest during the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and subsequent three-month imprisonment drew international attention, with his release secured through U.S. and OSCE efforts. 

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Regional attorneys

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Russian attorney Farit Murtazin, a human rights defender with extensive experience defending political prisoners, activists, journalists and Ukrainian prisoners of war. Since 2012, he has collaborated with leading human rights organizations, including the International Human Rights Group Agora, the Human Rights Center Memorial and OVD-Info. Murtazin represented high-profile clients such as Saviolov (Bolotnaya Case), Samutsevich (Pussy Riot), journalist Parkhomenko, Left Front activists Malinovsky and Trubitsyn, Ukrainian serviceman Shumkov and multiple Ukrainian citizens detained by the FSB. His practice also includes defending individuals accused in politically motivated cases across Russia’s regions, including Chechnya and Ingushetia. 

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Tajikistani attorney Bekhruz Salikhov, a human rights defender admitted to practice law in Tajikistan and Russia. His area of expertise is Russian and Tajikistani legal systems, political persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Tajikistan, Russia and other post-Soviet countries, detention/prison conditions and torture in Tajikistan. Over 300 cases were dedicated to defending the rights of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since 2008, he has participated in numerous international trainings organized by UNHCR, OSCE, the U.S. Embassy, USAID, the SOVA Center and others, covering topics such as anti-extremist legislation, religious freedom, protection of political prisoners, prevention of torture and strategic litigation. Salikhov's expertise has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State, the German Embassy, and international human rights organizations, including Forum 18, Open Doors International and HRW. In 2022, the U.N. Human Rights Committee upheld Salikhov's petition (Adyrkhayev v. Tajikistan), confirming the unlawful 2007 ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tajikistan.