ABOUT US
Justice for Detainees in Syria works hard to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization, according to security and financial potential. We focus on accurate fact-finding, impartial reporting, effective use of media, and partnership with other human rights organizations that have similar goals.
JDS strongly opposes torture, killing under torture, and psychological and physical harm against prisoners. In accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishcment." (Article 5)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Hiam Altali is the President and Founder of Justice for Detainees in Syria. Hiam is a Syrian human rights activist and works closely with the
Amnesty International Northeast Regional Office. For the past four years, Hiam has documented the detention and torture of hundreds of detainees in Syria through first-person interviews and with the help an extensive network of lawyers and activists on the ground in Syria. Hiam holds a degree in History from Worcester State University and has taught Arabic language for ten years.
Octavia Taylor has worked as a community organizer and Clark University grants manager, primarily for environmental and social justice projects. She has a deep interest in the Middle East, having first visited Israel and the West Bank as coordinator of Clark University’s Israeli/Palestinian Certificate Program in 1995. She has lived and taught in the Emirates (1997-98), Syria (2009-10) and Palestine (Fall 2014). She lives on a farm in New Braintree, Massachusetts.
Ali Barazi studied economics at Damascus University and currently runs a translation business with team members located in Syria. Ali is from Syria, but currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
Madeline Otis Campbell is an assistant professor of Urban Studies at Worcester State University, where she also directs the Center for the Study of Human Rights. Madeline researches refugee migration across the Middle East and is the author of Interpreters of Occupation: Gender and the Politics of Belonging in an Iraqi Refugee Network.
Aldo Guevara is a Ph.D. Associate Professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Worcester State University. Ali serves as Coordinator for the Center for the Study of Human Rights and co-advisor for the WSU Amnesty International Student Group.
Patricia Kirkpatrick is a former classroom teacher and afterschool program director. In recent months, Patricia has organized and hosted Silent Soup, a dinner series in mindful eating that simultaneously raised money for charitable organizations. She currently works as a part-time yoga instructor and full-time mother. Patricia lives in Worcester, Massachusetts.
CONTACT US
Call or email us:
Find us:
11 Nathaniel Street
Worcester, MA
01604