Ginna Anderson has more than a decade of experience as an international human rights lawyer defending fundamental freedoms and fair trial rights, with specific expertise in health and human rights, human rights defender protection, and media freedom. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights, where she leads a diverse team of human rights advocates to provide pro bono legal support, monitor trials, and advocate for the rights of individuals and communities facing persecution. Since joining the Center in 2012, she has supported journalists and human rights defenders facing criminalization, smear campaigns, strategic lawsuits against public participation (“SLAPPs”), and other forms of reprisals in every region of the world.

Lana Baydas is the Program Director at the ABA Center for Human Rights and leads the Center’s Proxy Warfare Project. Prior to joining the Center, she was a senior fellow with the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where she led research and policy efforts related to closing civic space. She served at headquarters and in field operations with the United Nations, Crisis Action, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. She holds a Ph.D. and LL.M. in public international law from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and a B.A. in political science from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

They spoke to Rule of Law Defenders in their personal capacities.

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