Sandra Coliver an international human rights lawyer, directed the freedom of expression, information, assembly and association team of the Open Society Justice Initiative for more than a dozen years. In that capacity she joined with groups around the world to litigate and promote law reform to defend the rights to protest, freely speak and associate, and access, expose and analyze information of public interest.

 

In recent years, she and her team worked especially in countries experiencing democratic backsliding in sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, and Europe. Previously, she directed the Center for Justice and Accountability, which continues to work with survivors to hold persecutors accountable in US and foreign courts. She worked for three years in Bosnia after the break-up of Yugoslavia as a senior legal advisor for the UN, OSCE and International Crisis Group.

 

She was the first Law Program Director of Article 19, the International Centre Against Censorship. She has edited several books, written articles and book chapters, served on the faculty of the Summer Program on International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of American University Washington College of Law, clerked for the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and worked as a public defender and private criminal defense lawyer.

 

She has served on several boards of directors, including the board of the US section of Amnesty International.