ALQST is delighted to announce that its Head of Advocacy, Julia Legner, will be taking up the position of Executive Director from 3 January 2023, as Nabhan Alhanshi steps down to devote more time to defending human rights in Oman. We are grateful to Nabhan for the new focus and developments he brought to the work of ALQST, and for all his dedication and hard work as its Executive Director since August 2021. We wish him all the best in his future human rights work. 

Since its establishment in 2014 by Saudi Arabian human rights defender Yahya Assiri, ALQST has played a vital role in promoting human rights in the Saudi kingdom, sourcing first-hand information on the ground and bringing violations to the attention of the international community. In the current environment of mounting repression, there is a pressing need to continue and expand our work, and Julia is well placed to lead ALQST’s institutional growth. 

Julia, who joined ALQST in December 2019, is a political scientist and human rights practitioner with over nine years of experience providing legal assistance and advocating on behalf of victims of human rights violations in the MENA region. She holds a BA in Arabic and International Relations from Westminster University and an MA in Middle Eastern Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.