Profile
Anderson Javiel Dirocie De León

Anderson Javiel Dirocie De León

PhD Candidate in International Law
Spoken languages
Spanish, English, French
Areas of expertise
  • International Human Rights Law
  • International criminal law
  • Public International Law
  • Freedom of Expression
  • Equality and non-discrimination

phd
 

PhD Thesis Title: Special Measures in International Law: Towards a comprehensive theory under the principle of equality and non-discrimination

PhD Supervisor: Dr. Neus Torbisco Casals

Anderson’s research examines the normative framework and existing practice in international law relating to special measures, also known as ‘‘affirmative actions’’. Are the justifications and approaches to special measures by international and regional courts, bodies and instruments sufficiently consistent for States to secure an effective and legitimate advancement of historically excluded groups? How do they look like? When are they needed and where are they not needed? Moreover, is the current equality and non-discrimination framework of international human rights law an adequate avenue to address the structural inequality affecting racial, gender and sexual minorities groups? The essence of this research is to give practical meaning to the principle of equality and non-discrimination when it comes to addressing the historical exclusion and discrimination of specific groups, particularly on the basis of race, gender and sexual orientation.
 

profile


Anderson Javiel Dirocie De León is an international lawyer, academic, human rights advocate and independent consultant in Public International Law and International Human Rights Law from the Dominican Republic. He is a PhD candidate in International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School (2023), an LL.M. in Advanced Studies in Public International Law with a Specialization in International Criminal Law from Leiden University (2018), and a Bachelor of Laws (Summa Cum Laude) LL.B. from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) (2017). He has worked in several international courts and bodies across three continents, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and the International Criminal Court. Domestically, he served as Assistant Secretary to the President of the Electoral High Court of the Dominican Republic and as the 2020-2021 Secretary General of the Latin-American Council for International and Comparative Law Scholars, chapter Dominican Republic (COLADIC-RD). He is a lecturer at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic where he teaches a master level course on Inter-American Protection of Human Rights. He has published work on  a variety of topics of public international law, including sexual orientation and gender identity, international criminal law, and freedom of expression, and has served on editorial teams for publications including Brill | Nijhoff’s International Organization Law Review and Harvard International Law Journal.
 

Research and teaching experiences
 

  • Lecturer on Inter-American Protection of Human Rights, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (April 2022–Present)
  • Research Assistant for UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Víctor Madrigal-Borloz, Human Rights at Harvard Law, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, USA. (October 2022 – May 2023)
  • Legal Researcher at Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA. (June 2021–September 2021)
     

Other professional experiences
 

  • Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University, Legal and Program Consultant (September 2023–Present)
  • External Human Rights Consultant for the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States, (2024)
  • Independent Consultant in Public International Law and International Human Rights Law (June 2023–Present)
  • Legal Fellow at the Rapporteurship on the Rights of LGBTI Persons, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States (2021– 2022).
  • Secretary-General of the Board of Directors 2020-2021, Latin-American Council for International and Comparative Law Scholars, Dominican Republic Chapter (COLADIC-RD).
  • Visiting Professional, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Organization of American States, San Jose, Costa Rica (2020).
  • Legal Intern, Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia/ UNAKRT, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2019).
  • Legal Intern, International Criminal Court, The Hague, The Netherlands, (2018-2019)
  • Assistant Secretary to Presiding Judge, Mariano A. Rodriguez, Tribunal Superior Electoral (Superior Electoral Court), Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic (2015– 2017)
     

Selected publications
 

  • “La persecución por motivo de la orientación sexual como crimen de lesa humanidad: una mirada desde el Estatuto de Roma de la Corte Penal International”, (Translation: “Persecution on grounds of sexual orientation as a crime against humanity: a view from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court” published on the II Volume on sexual diversity of the State Commission of Human Rights of the State of Jalisco, Mexico (2022). Access here.
  • ‘‘Special Collection on the Case Law on Freedom of Expression: Inter-American System of Human Rights’’, in Global Freedom of Expression Special Collection of the Case Law on Freedom of Expression. (Contributing Editor), Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression (2022). Access here. More info on the Special Collection here.
  • “Complementarity and Due Process as a Question of Admissibility: From Fighting Impunity to Seeking Justice?”, in Alexander Heinze & Viviane E. Dittrich, eds., The Past, Present and Future of the International Criminal Court, Nuremberg Academy Series No. 5 (2021). Access here.
  • “Representación de víctimas ante la Corte Penal Internacional. Manual para los Representantes Legales, Quinta Edición’’, (translation: Representing Victims before the International Criminal Court A Manual for legal representatives, Fifth Edition), published by the International Criminal Court - Cour Pénal Internationale. Coauthor. Available here.
     

Fellowships, grants, and awards
 

  • Mitteleuropa Stiftung Scholarship 2024-2025
  • Special Recognition by the Government of the Dominican Republic in the context of the 2024 National Youth Award organized by the Ministry of Youth.
  • Harvard Law School’s Graduate Program Grant 2022-2023
  • Dean Scholar Prize for outstanding work in the Human Rights in UN Treaty Bodies course
  • Recipient of the 2021-2022 Fellowship at the Rapporteurship on the Rights of LGBTI+ Persons of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
  • Best examination result prize, 20th Specialization Course in International Criminal Law: “Human Rights, Criminal Justice and International Law. Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, 2021.
  • Community Leadership Scholarship to attend the Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum as an Official Human Rights Delegate, 2021.
  • Dean of Student’s Graduation Ring Award (academic, leadership & community engagement) - Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, 2017.
     

Affiliations
 

  • Bar Association of the Dominican Republic, licensed to practice law in the Dominican Republic
  • Member of the Latin-American Council for International and Comparative Law Scholars, Dominican Republic Chapter (COLADIC-RD)
  • Independent Member of the LGBT Litigants Network of the Americas and member of its Legal Committee (2024-2025)