Alka Pradhan

Alka Pradhan is an American human rights attorney[1] who has represented Guantanamo Bay detainees, civilian drone strike victims, and other torture victims.[2][3] She currently works for the U.S. Department of Defense, Military Commissions Defense Organization and represents Ammar al-Baluchi in the case of United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.[4] Pradhan also works as a defence attorney at the International Criminal Court.[5]

Early life and education

Pradhan received a BA from Johns Hopkins University, an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a JD from Columbia Law School, and an LLM from the London School of Economics.[6]

Career

Pradhan was formerly an attorney at Reprieve. In 2014, her team sued the U.S. government over force-feeding techniques used on detainees at Guantanamo Bay.[7]

Pradhan has worked with members of the UK Parliament and European Parliament on torture investigations. She was a speaker for the "Complicity and Counterterrorism" series sponsored by an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Renditions in 2017.

In 2017, Pradhan led al-Baluchi's case before the UN Working Group of Arbitrary Detention. The Working Group determined that al-Baluchi was being subjected to arbitrary detention by the United States government, and recommended his immediate release.[8]

Pradhan was one of the subjects of the 2019 Field of Vision documentary The Trial,[9] about the Guantanamo Bay military commissions.[10] Pradhan frequently speaks publicly about the impact of the CIA torture program on the detainees at Guantanamo[11][12] and the lack of accountability for CIA and Bush administration officials who authorized torture.[13] In an interview with Christiane Amanpour, Pradhan stated that detainee torture "is the nasty center of this entire endeavour of the military commissions at Guantanamo."[14] She has also stated regarding Ammar al-Baluchi's prosecution that "I don't think that there is any real evidence the government has at this point that is not tainted by his torture."[15]

Pradhan appeared in the 2019 documentary The Long Haul, about the life and career of human rights lawyer Professor Sir Nigel Rodley.[16]

The 2020 graphic novel Guantanamo Voices by Sarah Mirk featured a chapter on Pradhan, illustrated by Tracy Chahwan.[17] The same year, Pradhan was included on a list of "DC Rising Stars: 40 Under 40."[18]

In 2021, Pradhan joined the defence team of Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud before the International Criminal Court.[19] Evidence against Al-Hassan is alleged to have been tainted by his torture in Mali.[20] [21]

Pradhan is considered an expert on the interaction between the law of war and human rights law; the prohibition on torture; and the impact of coerced evidence on fair trials.[22]

Professional affiliations

Pradhan is an adjunct professor at Penn Law School[23] and a former Co-Chair of the Human Rights Law Committee of the International Bar Association. Pradhan is also a member of the Board of Directors of the International Law Students Association.[24] Pradhan is a member of the Drafting Group for the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information-Gathering, called the "Méndez Principles," to be adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.[25] [26]

References

  1. ^ Stern, Jeffrey E. (December 19, 2017). "Alka Pradhan v. Gitmo (Published 2017)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  2. ^ "Yemeni tells White House of US drone strike that he says killed innocent kin". NBC News. 21 November 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Swain, Elise (November 22, 2020). "Joe Biden's Silence on Ending the Drone Wars". The Intercept. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  4. ^ "Trial Guide: The Sept. 11 Case at Guantánamo Bay". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "Notification of the Appointment of Ms Alka Pradhan as Associate Counsel for Mr Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud". International Criminal Court. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  6. ^ "Penn Law Faculty: Alka Pradhan". www.law.upenn.edu. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. ^ "Guantánamo force-feeding timeline". Reprieve US. June 22, 2016. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "OHCHR | Guantanamo detention of Ammar al Baluchi breaches human rights law, UN experts say". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  9. ^ Edenbrow, Johanna Hamilton Laura Poitras Charlotte Cook Charlie Phillips Jacqueline (February 22, 2019). "The Trial: inside Guantánamo with 9/11 suspect Ammar al-Baluchi – video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  10. ^ The lawyers defending 9/11 suspects at Gitmo - CNN Video, 25 March 2019, retrieved March 9, 2021
  11. ^ Pfeiffer, Sacha (23 January 2020). "CIA Used Prisoner As 'Training Prop' For Torture, Psychologist Testifies". NPR. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  12. ^ "Guantánamo lawyers see issues in torture exhibit at spy museum". the Guardian. May 27, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  13. ^ "Trump consults Bush torture lawyer on how to skirt law and rule by decree". the Guardian. July 20, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  14. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". transcripts.cnn.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  15. ^ Barghouty, P. Leila. "One week at Gitmo". The Outline. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "IBA - The Long Haul: Showing of a film inspired by Professor Sir Nigel Rodley". www.ibanet.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  17. ^ Mirk, Sarah (2021-10-15). "Guantánamo Voices: True Accounts From the World's Most Infamous Prison". The Markaz Review. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  18. ^ "DC Rising Stars: Alka Pradhan, 38". National Law Journal. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  19. ^ "International Criminal Court - Al Hassan Case".
  20. ^ "Public redacted version of "Article 69(7) Application"" (PDF).
  21. ^ "Public redacted version of "Defence Article 69(7) Reply"".
  22. ^ Alka Pradhan - Shifting the mindset to end torture and coercion, retrieved 2023-05-17
  23. ^ "Penn Law Faculty: Alka Pradhan". www.law.upenn.edu. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  24. ^ "Who We Are". International Law Students Association. June 29, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  25. ^ "NCHR hosting the drafting group on the Universal Protocol on Investigative Interviewing - Norwegian Centre for Human Rights". www.jus.uio.no. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  26. ^ "Mendez Principles" (PDF).