Activists and Scholars from Argentina, Egypt, Russia, Sri Lanka,
Pakistan, United States, Yemen, and Zambia among new class of NED
Fellows
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is pleased to announce its
Fall 2012 cohort of Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows. In
residence are leading practitioners, journalists, and
scholars from Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, the
United States, Yemen, and Zambia.
The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program seeks to increase
the knowledge, enrich the skills, broaden the perspectives, and
boost the morale of some of the world's most creative and
courageous democratic activists and scholars. The program is
housed at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED's
research and publications arm, in Washington, D.C. Named in honor of NED's
two principal founders, former president Ronald Reagan and the late congressman
Dante Fascell (D-FL), and now
celebrating its tenth anniversary, the program has enabled over 180
activists, practitioners, scholars, and journalists from more than
80 countries to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance
their ability to promote democratic change.
Fall 2012 Fellows
Mr. Ismail Alexandrani (Egypt) is a freelance journalist,
socio-political researcher, social media expert, and youth activist
based in Alexandria, Egypt. During
his fellowship, Mr. Alexandrani is comparing how digital and social
media are used in Egypt and
the United States for collective
mobilization.
Ms. Gabool Al-Mutawakel (Yemen) is a co-founder of the Youth
Leadership Development Foundation (YLDF), a Sanaa-based NGO that seeks to strengthen and
support the leadership capabilities of Yemeni youth. During
her fellowship, Ms. Al-Mutawakel is identifying ways of
strengthening cooperation among Yemeni human rights organizations
by: (a) examining networking methods among U.S.-based groups; and
(b) developing a set of best practices that she hopes to
consolidate into a training manual.
Prof. Eduardo Bertoni (Argentina) is director of the Center for
Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information at
Palermo University School of Law, in Buenos Aires. During his fellowship, Prof.
Bertoni is exploring the prospects for and obstacles to freedom of
expression on the Internet in Latin
America, including recommendations to ensure that increased
access to the Internet promotes, rather than undermines, free
speech.
Mr. Chanda Chisala (Zambia) is founder and president of Zambia
Online, the country's first and largest online portal promoting
public debate on issues of national interest. During his NED
fellowship, Mr. Chisala is assessing how mobile phones can be used
to streamline service delivery, strengthen citizen participation in
local governance, and promote government transparency in
Zambia.
Prof. Donald L. Horowitz (United States) is James B. Duke Professor
of Law and Political Science at Duke
University, where he has taught since 1981. During his
fellowship, Prof. Horowitz is working on a book concerning
constitutional design for ethnically divided societies.
Mr. Jayaprakash Tissainayagam (Sri Lanka) is a seasoned journalist,
editor, and analyst covering ethnic conflicts, socio-political
issues, and the peace process in Sri
Lanka. During his Reagan-Fascell fellowship, he is exploring
how international forces affect democratization in South Asian
countries.
Mr. Alexander Verkhovsky (Russia) is the founder and director of the
SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, a Moscow-based NGO that monitors and analyzes
political extremism, ultranationalism, xenophobia, freedom of
religion, and the use and misuse of counter-extremism measures in
Russia. During his fellowship, Mr.
Verkhovsky is studying legislation against hate crimes and
hate-related activity passed in the
United States, European Union, and the former Soviet
republics; identifying common themes and trends; and developing
methods to enhance the legal framework and possible enforcement
mechanisms in Russia.
Dr. Fouzia Saeed (Pakistan) is director of Mehergarh, an
Islamabad-based human rights and
democracy center that conducts training and research on youth
activism and empowerment. Recognizing the important role that
citizens can play in shaping public policy and fostering
international exchange, Dr. Saeed is devoting her fellowship to
exploring how civil society can influence legal and political
decision-making in Pakistan and
the United States.
A complete list of the 2012–2013 Fellows and their bios can be
found online at
http://www.ned.org/fellowships/current-past-fellows.
SOURCE National Endowment for Democracy