Jawad Dadgar has spent more than 14 years promoting and protecting international human rights and international humanitarian law in Afghanistan. Jawad has extensive experience conducting research, monitoring violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, analyzing trends, and developing comprehensive strategies for human rights empowerment.  

From 2009 to 2021, Jawad served at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), most recently as Director of the Human Rights Monitoring Department. He also served as a human rights consultant with No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), where he monitored and documented violations of human rights in Afghanistan. He has authored and edited several research reports and analytical findings. In addition, Jawad has taught human rights at two private universities in Afghanistan.  

In 2021, Jawad was forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. He was evacuated to Denmark and then resettled in the United States, where he continues to monitor and document violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Afghanistan. As a Distinguished Fellow with the Human Rights Institute, Jawad will carry out research specifically on the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities under Taliban rule.