James Lin

James Lin is an international human rights lawyer and a forensic expert.  He has lived or worked in over 30 countries, including many conflict and post-conflict settings.  Currently, he leads the torture documentation program of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), a coalition of 160 torture rehabilitation centers in 75 countries.

Prior to IRCT, James was head of the Southeast Asia Regional Office of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and led its human rights investigations and advocacy in the region.  He also served as Country Director for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI)’s programs in Nepal and Thailand.  There, he worked with government and civil society stakeholders to address war crimes, torture, and human trafficking.  James also worked for many years in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), monitoring war crimes trials.

James holds a JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law and a BA in Anthropology from McGill University.  He is currently conducting PhD research at the University of Amsterdam on the practices of NGOs in acquiring evidence and producing knowledge.  In addition, James is an Adjunct Professor at National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan), where he teaches Transitional Justice and Business and Human Rights.  In his spare time, he likes to draw, swim, and is learning to surf.