Dr Sofia Galani Joins HRAS Non-Executive Board

Human Rights at Sea is very pleased to announce that Dr Sofia Galani has joined the charity’s Non-Executive Board of Advisors where she will be providing her expertise for the charity’s educational and research work reflecting the organization’s charitable objectives.

Sofia commented: ” It is a privilege to join the Human Rights at Sea Non-Executive Board of Advisors. My research on piracy and the protection of the human rights of seafarers has made me aware of the human rights abuses that take place in the maritime domain, which most of the time go unnoticed. It is for this reason why I feel privileged to support the work of Human Rights at Sea, which for the first time, takes a close look at human rights violations at sea and seeks to make the voices of the victims of these abuses heard.

“I believe that my expertise on human rights, international law of the sea and maritime security will contribute to the charity’s mission. I further hope that the close partnership between Human Rights at Sea and the Human Rights Implementation Centre & Human Rights Law Clinic of the University of Bristol is the first effort in assisting the on-going projects and research program of the charity, that can be further strengthened by collaborative research and organization of events all aimed at raising greater awareness about human rights at sea.”

David Hammond, CEO, said: “The Trustees and I are delighted that Sofia has accepted our invitation to add her professional expertise to our ongoing charitable work. We have already commenced a new research project through the University of Bristol, which will become apparent in due course in further supporting the education of seafarers and fishermen globally.”

Sofia is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Bristol and the School’s Mooting Academic Advisor. She previously held the position of Teaching Assistant in Law at the University of Bristol Law School.

Sofia holds an LLB in Law from the National University of Athens and an LLM in Public Law from the University of Bristol Law School (2011). In 2016, Sofia was awarded a PhD in Law for the successful completion of her thesis on ‘Hostages and Human Rights: Towards a Victim-Centred Approach?’. Her doctoral project examined the gaps in the protection of the human rights of hostages by reviewing the existing legal framework and counter-terrorism/piracy policies from a human rights perspective, and analyzed how these gaps can be filled in light of recent developments of international human rights law. Her research interests are: modern piracy; maritime security; terrorism studies; and human rights.

Sofia is the Editor of the Case and Commentary section of the European Human Rights Law Review. She was the Deputy Student Director of the Human Rights Law Clinic in 2011-2012 and has provided research assistance in human rights projects of the Human Rights Implementation Centre.

She teaches Law and Policy of the EU, and General Principles of International Law on the LLB program. She also leads International Law and Human Rights and Maritime Security on the LLM program. Sofia has also taught the core modules of Constitutional Rights and Trusts on the LLB program.