Andrés Morales has over seven years of experience as an international lawyer and researcher, providing legal advice on international criminal law, international humanitarian law, human rights, and transitional justice.

Andrés has worked with civil society organisations, research institutes, and courts and tribunals, including the International Criminal Court, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in Colombia and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. Andrés has supported judges, counsel, and practitioners by conducting research on complex legal issues, drafting filings and judicial decisions, and analysing large volumes of information. He has also authored publications on transitional justice in Colombia, customary international law in the context of criminal law, and the principle of legality.

Andrés is a graduate of Los Andes University and holds an Advanced LLM in Public International Law from Leiden University. He also completed specialised studies in human rights and criminal law at Alfonso X El Sabio University, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Research Institute, and the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights.

Giulia Gelot is a legal researcher working at the intersection of international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and human rights law, approached through a survivor-centered, gender-sensitive, and intersectional lens. Her work also focuses on asylum and refugee law and accountability for externalized migration violence, and she has authored a book on the detention of migrants at Europe’s borders. She holds an LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights from the Geneva Academy and a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law from the University of Paris Nanterre.

Prior to joining UpRights, she completed a traineeship at the European Court of Human Rights working with Judge Sabato and contributing to the Italian and French divisions, as well as an internship with the NGO Civitas Maxima in Geneva, where she supported strategic litigation on accountability for international crimes. She has also worked as a legal adviser and social worker with the nonprofit France Terre d’Asile, providing direct assistance to asylum seekers and refugees, and earlier worked in a French law firm specializing in immigration and criminal law.

Her commitment to human rights is reflected in her volunteer engagement with Amnesty International France, where she served as Colombia Referent engaging directly with transitional justice mechanisms, and with the nonprofit La Station LGBTI in Strasbourg, providing legal support to LGBTQIA+ individuals navigating asylum procedures and anti-discrimination protections.

Alexis is a freelance IT and security consultant.

With a wide knowledge of several IT fields and a pragmatic approach to the digital tools, he helps organizations making sure they work in a modern, efficient, and secure environment.

He has over two decades of experience working with international organizations, educational institutions, and companies around Europe.

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Vy is an international lawyer working in the areas of international human rights law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law and transitional justice. Vy hold an Advanced LLM. in European and International Human Rights Law from Leiden University and an LLB. from International Islamic University Malaysia. Prior to joining UpRights, Vy was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Courts of Malaya by the Malaysian Bar Council in August 2020. Vy has since practiced law in various Malaysian law firms, handling complex criminal, civil and strategic litigation cases.

Vy’s unwavering commitment to human rights is reflected in their collaboration with grassroots activists and human rights groups, offering pro-bono legal services and representation to marginalized communities. Vy formerly served as Executive Board Member (Community & Outreach) for the United Nations Association of Malaysia Youth and provided essential pro-bono legal services as an Urgent Arrest Lawyer for the Malaysian Bar Council, actively defending individuals against human rights violations.

Vy is passionate about advocating for meaningful access to justice for the marginalized, and exploring the intersection of human rights, the rule of law and emerging technologies such as AI from gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches to technology governance.

Niccolò is a human rights practitioner with over four years of experience in legal and policy research, project management, and strategic communications and advocacy. He holds a Master’s degree Cum Laude in Human Rights and Multi-Level Governance from the University of Padova.

Since joining UpRights, Niccolò has contributed to numerous reports, fact-finding memoranda, and submissions to bodies including the UN Human Rights Committee, with a particular focus on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, LGBTQIA+ rights, and transitional justice. He has also played a role in the design and delivery of training programmes for civil society actors and public officials. In parallel, Niccolò serves as Legal Compliance Officer at Generation for Rights Over the World (GROW), where he has engaged in legal compliance work and advocacy around freedom of expression, civic space, and the accountability of states before international and regional human rights mechanisms. Prior to joining UpRights, he also worked alongside the team at Koliba, where he monitored state compliance with international human rights standards and produced reports and journalistic content aimed at raising awareness on human rights issues.

Niccolò is a firm believer in the power of advocacy and strategic litigation as tools for the promotion and protection of human rights, and in the importance of building inclusive, stakeholder-centred approaches to accountability. He is a native Italian speaker and is fluent in English and French, with working knowledge of Spanish.

Ciara Laverty is a legal practitioner and researcher specialised in international criminal law, human rights and transitional justice.

She has published research and worked on advocacy issues in particular in the areas of sexual and reproductive rights and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence. Ciara has previously worked as a researcher and lecturer in international law at Leiden University, as a visiting researcher at the University of California Berkeley, and on protection issues at the International Committee of the Red Cross. She holds a PhD and an Advanced LLM in international law from Leiden University and an MSc in international relations from the University of Edinburgh.

David Kinnecome has more than 15 years of experience as an international lawyer providing legal advice to international judges and prosecutors on all aspects of cases involving international crimes and terrorism, from drafting and assessing indictments to appeals from judgement.

From 2006 until the end of 2021, David worked as a lawyer for international and hybrid criminal tribunals. His work includes: providing legal advice and assistance to the trial judges of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, providing legal advice and acting as appeals counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and acting as appeals counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor before the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. Prior to his work with international courts, David worked for three years as a litigation associate for law firms in Boston and New York.

David is a graduate of Boston University School of Law and has a Master in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He is a member of the state Bars of Massachusetts and New York.

Asa Solway is an international lawyer with significant experience advising international organizations, national governments and civil society on a range of international legal issues.

Asa is currently a lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Law and has served for over 15 years as an international lawyer advising on multilateral conflict prevention, international law, human rights and access to justice. He has worked with the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and with the United Nations in the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Registry of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. His publications and legal submissions have considered parallel legal systems, foreign state reprisals, the law of armed conflict, national minorities and modern forms of colonialism

Asa is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley School of Law and a member of the State Bar of California.

Valérie Gabard has over a decade of experience as a legal adviser for the United Nations in the areas of international criminal law, international humanitarian law, human rights law and transitional justice.

Prior to forming UpRights, Valérie worked for the United Nations International commission of Inquiry for Mali and for the Team of International Experts on the Situation in Kasai (DRC) where she investigated international crimes and gross human rights violations and provided recommendations to improve accountability for crimes committed during the Kasai and the Malian conflicts. Valérie has also worked as a legal officer for Judges of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda as well as investigating Judges at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in Phnom Penh. Valerie has developed on line trainings including for human rights field staff focused on international criminal justice.

Valérie has a double specialization in criminal law and international public law from the Universities of Bordeaux, Maastricht and Aix-en-Provence. She is fluent in English and French.