Freedom Now protects individuals and communities from government repression and defends human rights through direct legal support, targeted high-leverage advocacy, and capacity-building analysis and assistance.
Since 2001, Freedom Now has sought to end arbitrary detention and associated human rights abuses. For nearly two decades we have provided pro bono legal representation to individual prisoners of conscience throughout the world. We have represented nearly 200 wrongfully detained individuals, lifting up voices that authoritarian governments seek to silence. We have won cases before international legal tribunals and mobilized influential allies to bring maximum pressure to bear on repressive regimes.
Politically-motivated prosecution is not the only tool used to suppress fundamental rights. Oppressive laws and corrupt institutions are a direct threat to civil society and democratic norms. Freedom Now understands a holistic approach is necessary to truly combat human rights abuses. To this end, we work on several interconnected issues, including prison conditions, transnational repression, rehabilitation of former prisoners of conscience, and supporting civil society and international action.
You can read about our recent successes in our 2019 Annual Report. An archive of our past annual reports can be found here.
Andrea J. Prasow is the executive director of Freedom Now. A lawyer and global human rights advocate, Andrea’s expertise includes U.S. national security and foreign policy. She is a frequent commentator in print, radio and television, and has published in a wide range of media outlets, including Politico, The Hill, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and Just Security. Prior to joining Freedom Now, Andrea served as executive director of the Freedom Initiative, an organization dedicated to freeing political prisoners in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as 12 years at Human Rights Watch, pressing the U.S. government to place the protection and promotion of human rights at the center of its foreign and national security policies. She has previously worked as a defense lawyer in the Office of Military Commissions, representing detainees in Guantanamo charged in the military commission system. In private practice at a New York law firm, Andrea served as habeas counsel for detainees in Guantanamo, as well as practiced corporate litigation. Andrea holds an Honors B.A. from the University of Toronto, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the District of Columbia.
Karl Horberg joined Freedom Now in December 2014. Previously, he was an Operations Manager for a grant writing consulting firm and a Program Officer for Connect U.S. Fund, where he managed a grant portfolio of $2 million. Karl served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan from 2004-2006. He holds a BA in Political Science from American University and an MSC in Human Rights from the London School of Economics.
Adam Lhedmat is a legal officer at Freedom Now. Prior to joining Freedom Now, he was a Staff Attorney with the International Justice Resource Center where he provided support to advocates bringing claims before regional and universal human rights systems. Additionally, Adam previously worked both with the WANA Institute where he researched transitional justice solutions for the Syrian conflict, and with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners where he participated in advocacy efforts to release political prisoners in Myanmar. He holds a J.D. from the University California, Irvine School of Law, as well as an MPhil in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. in Philosophy from New York University.
Kaadir Mohiuddin is the Program Assistant for Freedom Now. He graduated from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BA in Political Science and International Studies, and he graduated from The George Washington University with an MPA. He speaks English, Urdu, and French.
Yalda Royan is an Afghan women’s rights activist and senior development professional with extensive leadership experience in national and international NGOs. She has spearheaded women’s rights initiatives in Afghanistan where she sought to advance women’s political, economic and social participation. When she was evacuated to the United States in August 2021, she was working as a consultant for the World Bank to respond to issues of gender-based violence in the public health sector. She has vast expertise in designing and leading gender initiatives across women’s empowerment, gender-based violence, conflict resolution, and peace and security, and holds a master's degree in gender and women's studies from Kabul University
Tamar Chanturia is Freedom Now’s Eurasia Project Coordinator. Prior to joining Freedom Now, Tamar worked for Penal Reform International where she supported PRI’s work on reforming the criminal justice system in South Caucasus, specifically Georgia, by bringing expertise from her previous experience working with local and international experts as the head of the group of probation officers of female and juvenile offenders. In the past, Tamar worked for the National Probation Agency and the Law Office, where she participated in drafting the applications to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of the clients. Tamar is a member of Georgian Bar (GBA), American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), and a fellow of the Professional Fellows Program (PFP). She is a co-author of guidance documents on international standards on Juvenile Justice and Georgian penitentiary and probation systems’ responses to COVID-19 concerning reducing the damage caused by the restrictions.
Sara Hakimi is a former Afghan diplomat, and a former fellow and representative at NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. At the Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), she served as the Desk Officer for Counter-Narcotics and Counter Terrorism, Desk Officer for Central Asia and China, and Desk Officer for Bonn. Sara had official assignments in Turkmenistan, Iran, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Portugal. Previously, Sara worked in the public policy sphere in Afghanistan as a Policy Analyst at the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), and in program coordination and management roles at different agencies. Sara holds a master's in Security Studies from Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), Georgetown University. She also has a master’s in International Relations from Kabul University. She did a post-graduate course in Political Diplomacy at the Institute of Diplomacy, MoFA. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Public Administration from the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). She has immense experience in the field of international affairs and diplomacy, having worked with practitioners and scholars all across the world. Sara specializes in research and policy analysis, with a particular emphasis on the Middle East and South Asia regions. Additionally, she possesses expertise in counter-terrorism and extremism initiatives, including a deep understanding of the political and military dynamics involving non-state actors. She speaks Persian, Pashto, Hindi, and French.
Jeremy Zucker is the Chair of Freedom Now and the chair of the National Security practice at Dechert LLP in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Dechert, Jeremy was a partner in the international trade group of Hogan Lovells. Jeremy also served as a law clerk at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands. Jeremy holds a B.A. in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University, a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a J.D. magna cum laude from New York University Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the NYU Journal of International Law and Politics and a Fellow of the Center for International Studies.
Peter Magyar is the founder of Magyar & Co, a boutique international law firm. Previously he was Senior Partner and General Counsel of an international investment group with over $6 billion of assets and a Partner of Baker & McKenzie, where he headed the firm’s European securities practice and was a member of the London office’s Management Committee and the Managing Partner of its Budapest office. Peter is the recipient of various awards and citations in the legal press recognizing his work in the fields of privatization and international capital markets. He holds degrees from The London School of Economics and Oxford University. He will be helping lead Freedom Now’s expansion into Europe.
Thomas Dohrmann is a member of the Board of Directors of Freedom Now and a director of Public Sector Practice in the Americas at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. He works in McKinsey’s Public Sector leading the firm’s work with tax authorities and public-finance agencies and its research on public-sector productivity and fiscal management. Tom joined McKinsey in 1996 and is based in Washington, DC. In 2008-2009, Tom took a leave of absence from McKinsey and worked on President Barack Obama’s transition team providing work on financial regulation and reform. He holds a B.A. in political science from Macalester College and an MPA from Princeton University.
Gregory K. McGillivary is the managing partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of McGillivary Steele Elkin LLP, which represents unions and employees nationwide in all areas of labor law, including wage and hour violations, First Amendment rights, collective bargaining, grievance/arbitration, and human rights related to labor advocacy. Greg served for six years as the Union Chair of the American Bar Association’s Federal Labor Standards Committee. He is the editor-in-chief of the treatise State Wage and Hour Laws and a senior editor of the treatise The Fair Labor Standards Act. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon Law School, where he was articles editor of the Oregon Law Review, and received his B.A. from Northwestern University.
Joshua Newcomer is an attorney in the Houston, Texas office of the law firm McKool Smith P.C. Prior to joining McKool Smith, Joshua was an attorney at the international law firm Hogan Lovells LLP. Joshua served as a law clerk to Judge Carolyn King on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge William Yohn Jr. on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Joshua earned a B.A., cum laude, majoring in history and political communications from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the James E. Beasley School of Law at Temple University, where he was articles editor of the Temple Law Review.
Peter Choharis is the founder of Choharis Global Solutions, an international law and consulting firm. He has more than twenty years of experience as a U.S. litigator and international dispute specialist and has appeared in trial and appellate courts at the federal and state level throughout the United States. He is also an Adjunct Fellow at the American Security Project, and prior to that was a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. More than two dozen of his articles on foreign affairs and international law have appeared in The New York Times (Global), International Herald Tribune, Forbes, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and many other publications. Peter graduated from Yale Law School and Harvard College, where he was awarded the Sheldon Traveling Fellowship and numerous other prizes.
Hrishikesh Hari is a partner in the National Security practice of Dechert LLP in Washington, D.C. He has represented many dozens of prisoners of conscience around the world and regularly advises boards of non-profits on a range of corporate governance matters. Hrishi holds a B.A., magna cum laude, in history and political science from Rice University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Human Rights Journal.
Fadzai Madzingira is a Trust & Safety professional with a decade of experience in policy development and responsible technology. She has led teams at Meta, Salesforce and Ofcom. These roles included being the Global Hate Speech Policy Lead leading hate speech policy enforcement across Meta products and the EMEA Lead in Salesforce's Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology coordinating the company's road to internet regulation compliance. Fadzai's focus areas include policy development in Hate Speech, Slurs, Adult Nudity, Adult Sexual Activity and building internet regulation compliance programs. As a Rhodes Scholar from Zimbabwe, she read for a Bachelor of Civil Laws and a Master in Public Policy at Oxford University.
Position Description:
Freedom Now is seeking a full-time Advocacy and Campaigns Director to help advance the organization’s mission of protecting individuals and communities from government repression and defending human rights. The director will be responsible for the development and implementation of global advocacy strategies and public campaigns on specific human rights issues, as well as on specific cases. The director will work closely with the Executive Director and partner organizations in setting objectives and ensuring that programmatic goals are met.
Successful candidates will be collaborative, passionate about advancing human rights and the rule of law through international advocacy efforts, and knowledgeable about a wide range of countries, with particular emphasis on Eurasia and Central Asia. Experience in building advocacy campaigns, including engaging influential lawmakers and policymakers in friendly countries, is essential. Familiarity with the US Congress is strongly desired. The ideal candidate will be a unique and creative thinker who thrives in an environment where a premium is placed on effective communication, tenacity, adaptability, and being a self-starter. Experience developing and executing public communication campaigns is desired. The director will report to and work closely with the Executive Director.
This position will be based in Washington, DC; London; or Brussels, with some travel as required. The expected salary for the position is $80,000, but exact compensation for this position will be commensurate with experience and location.
Interested candidates should submit a CV along with cover letter, three references, and an appropriate writing sample to [email protected]. Applications submitted without these materials will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will be filled once a suitable candidate has been selected, which may occur prior to the deadline. Due to the high volume of qualified applicants, please understand we will only be able to follow-up with individuals who have been selected for an interview.
Position Responsibilities:
Required Skills and Experience:
