Institute for International Law and Human Rights
WASHINGTON, DC • BRUSSELS • BAGHDAD
Who We Are
The Team
Robin Gary
Executive Director
Robin Gary Biography
With more than 15 years of experience in constitution-making, peace processes, rule of law, democracy, governance, law and development, Robin Gary provides clients with strong leadership and creative solutions based on comparative practice and solid recommendations on implementation for resolving complex constitutional, rule of law, and process issues. Ms. Gary is a natural born leader with proven success as a strong project leader, people manager, coalition builder, and solution provider who pays attention to detail and is action oriented.
She has worked for several international organizations in different complex, post-conflict settings throughout Africa, the Middle East, and South America, including the UN Development Programme, IILHR, and the Public International Law & Policy Group. Ms. Gary has also served as Litigation Staff Attorney at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison LLP; as Pro Bono Immigration Legal Advisor to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; and as an officer on Pew Charitable Trusts’ International Oceans & Protecting Ocean Life on the High Seas Campaign. She is a graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law and holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs from American University’s School for International Service as well as a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of Vermont. Additionally, she is versed in the practice of Shamanic energy healing. Ms. Gary is a native Washingtonian and a licensed member of the District of Columbia Bar. In her free time, Ms. Gary enjoys traveling and furthering her skills in sailing and yoga.
Najim Al-Khaphaji
Senior Advisor
Najim Al-Khaphaji Biography
Najim Al-Khaphaji has served with IILHR since 2008, starting as Legal Coordinator. Currently Senior Advisor, Al-Khapaji has been instrumental in facilitating interaction between the Iraqi Council of Representatives, the judiciary, civil society, and IILHR. In addition to his day-to-day leadership, he has organized several conferences and events for members of parliament in Erbil and Kurdistan, and he has taken the lead in convening judges, media representatives, members of parliament, and academics to better inform the legislative drafting process on specific topics.
Prior to joining IILHR, Al-Khaphaji worked with the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG) where he served as liaison between PILPG and the Constitutional Review and Legal Committees of the Iraqi Parliament. Al-Khaphaji also worked as a manager with the Iraqi Institute of Peace, where he was active in encouraging participation in the election process and in dialogues leading to the drafting of the Iraqi Constitution.
Al-Khaphaji brings to IILHR a wealth of experience working with the Iraqi Parliament and civil society on the rule of law. He holds a degree in Computer Data Processing and is a member of the Iraqi Translators Association.
Nicola Giovannini
Brussels Director
Nicola Giovannini Biography
IILHR Brussels Director Nicola Giovannini also serves as President of Droit au Droit (Right to Law), an international non-governmental organization committed to the promotion of human rights and rule of law in judicial and penal procedures, and as European Public Affairs & Media Coordinator for No Peace Without Justice. From 1999 to 2004, Giovannini served as Senior Political Advisor to the Lista Bonino, a European Parliament bloc. From 1993 to 1999, he served as Advocacy Advisor to several international NGOs committed to the promotion of human rights and international justice. He is the author as well as translator of numerous books and articles on political and legal theory, as well as co-editor of The Use of Solitary Confinement in European Prisons (Editions Bruylant, 2004).
Jabran Mansoor
Legal Translator
Jabran Mansoor Biography
Jabran Mansoor joined IILHR in 2008 as Legal Translator. Since then, he has translated official letters and documents, draft legislation, laws currently in force, and reports and legal handbooks. He translated a series of reports released during Iraq’s Daesh War, including Crossroads: The Future of Iraq’s Minorities After ISIS; No Way Home: Iraq’s Minorities on the Verge of Disappearance; and Between the Millstones: The State of Iraq’s Minorities Since the Fall of Mosul. He has also translated legal handbooks and references such as Iraq’s Minorities and Other Vulnerable Groups: Legal Framework, Documentation and Human Rights; Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights: Bylaws, Regulations and Legal Framework; Minorities and the Law in Iraq; and Women and the Law in Iraq.
Before joining IILHR, Mansoor worked as a translator and interpreter with a number of Iraqi NGOs and international organizations, including International Foundation for Electoral System, International Institute for the Rule of Law, the Civil Constitutional Forum, the American Bar Association, and the Public International Law and Policy Group.
Vlora Maxhuni
Legal Advisor
Vlora Maxhuni Biography
Vlora Maxhuni, international legal advisor, has extensive experience in the rule of law, environmental law and sustainable development, international law, and dispute resolution. As part of IILHR, Maxhuni is currently focused on environmental governance legislation and sustainable policies to address climate change in Iraq.
Previously, as a Rule of Law and Good Governance Advisor with GIZ, she contributed to advancing investment protection frameworks in Western Balkan countries. Her work focused on improving and modernizing investment treaties and laws in light of the recent trends in international investment law and EU law, especially in the renewable energy sector.
Maxhuni also held senior legal roles within Kosovo’s government, including at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Justice. Among other responsibilities, she ensured that the proposed environmental legislation complied with EU law. She also played a key role in justice system reforms, contributing to initiatives such as the vetting of judges and prosecutors, the confiscation of unjustified assets, and the implementation of the rule of law strategy.
Maxhuni holds an LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Law from Maastricht University and an LL.B. from the University of Prishtina. She has also passed the Kosovo Bar Exam.
Dr. Abdulhaleem Mohammed
Legal Advisor
Dr. Abdulhaleem Mohammed Biography
Dr. Abdulhaleem Mohammed is a highly accomplished legal professional with a PhD in Constitutional Law and Legal Theories from the University of Reading, UK. His career is marked by substantial contributions to electoral reform in Iraq, providing critical technical advice and assistance to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). This includes specialising in drafting amendments to electoral laws, regulations, and rules, aiming to elevate national electoral frameworks to meet international standards. He focuses on fostering inclusivity and transparency, advocating for enhanced women’s participation, and developing robust fraud mitigation strategies and campaign finance monitoring mechanisms.
He has also delivered impactful training sessions for key stakeholders, including the Elections Judicial Panel, the Councillors Committee, and political parties, enhancing their understanding of international standards.
Additionally, Dr. Abdulhaleem has taught courses on Constitutional Law, Human Rights, and Political Systems. He has also contributed to anti-corruption and arbitration initiatives with UNDP in Iraq. His executive experience includes serving as a Chief Legal and Executive Officer, overseeing legal and administrative matters and successfully representing his clients in courts.
Minna Jaffery-Lindemulder
Program Manager
Minna Jaffery-Lindemulder Biography
Minna Jaffery-Lindemulder is the Program Manager at IILHR. She focuses on managing grants, budgets, and project vendors. She also works on all operational and administrative issues for IILHR. In her previous work at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, she helped build start-ups and nonprofits from the ground up, in the process managing strategic communications and operations for mission-driven organizations. She has extensive experience managing external relationships to produce high-quality analysis for policymakers; developing new analytical products for targeted audiences; undertaking geopolitical forecasting; and managing national and globally focused networks; and establishing processes and standard operating procedures. She has a focused specialization in South Asian-Middle Eastern relations and has deep ties to the Arabian Gulf and Pakistan.
Minna is a member of the NextGen Initiative at Foreign Policy for America, where she has served as the Middle East working group co-chair. She is a native speaker of English and Urdu and also speaks basic Arabic. She received her M.A. in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies from Columbia University, where her thesis focused on U.S.-Pakistani-Saudi relations in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. She has a B.A. in English and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago.
William Spencer
Founder and Chair Emeritus
In Memoriam
William Spencer Biography
William “Spence” Spencer was the Executive Director of IILHR. Spencer has more than 25 years of professional experience in diplomacy, human rights, democracy and governance, international law, and crisis management and response, both as a career diplomat and as an advocate in the field. He is intimately familiar with post-conflict rebuilding and peace and constitutional negotiations in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
In 1996 Spencer helped to configure Bosnia’s first post-war elections and oversaw implementation of human rights components of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a career foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department, Spencer served as Senior Duty Officer in the White House Situation Room, supported Transatlantic institutions such as NATO and the OSCE, and coordinated policy and resource support for human rights in the former Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal. He served as a delegate to the Rome Conference to establish an International Criminal Court in 1998.
In Iraq, he has advised the government of Iraq on diverse constitutional and legislative issues since 2005. He currently oversees a legal team that provides advice to both the Iraqi Federal and Kurdistan Regional parliaments, and he works on accountability and justice issues with Iraq’s judiciary.
WASHINGTON, DC
2201 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20007
Tel. +1 202-800-9141
BRUSSELS
Avenue Louise 489
1050 Ixelles
Brussels, Belgium
Tel. +32 2 781 08 23
BAGHDAD
International Zone
Baghdad, Iraq
Tel. +964 790 128 7010
© 2023 INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL LAW & HUMAN RIGHTS
