Our Impact


Kat Swander

Kat Swander is the Fundraising and Development Manager at the Clooney Foundation for Justice. She played a key role in organizing The Albies, CFJ’s annual gala celebrating courageous justice defenders from around the world, before joining the foundation full-time. Prior to CFJ, Kat led community marketing and strategic partnerships at an early-stage tech startup. She


New Study Reveals the Widespread Use of Criminal Law Against Journalists Across States in India


Waging Justice for Women Fellowship Alumnae


Donation Guidelines


TrialWatch to Monitor Proceedings Against Pakistani Journalist Ahmad Noorani


UN Working Group Declares Kyrgyz Journalists’ Detention Arbitrary, Following TrialWatch Intervention


TrialWatch Will Monitor Georgian Journalist Mzia Amaglobeli’s Trial


Emma Shores

Emma Shores is a Digital Associate at the Clooney Foundation for Justice. Before joining CFJ, she worked in democracy reform, voting rights, and human rights at NGOs and nonprofits. She has also been deeply involved in human rights work at the community level, supporting survivors of domestic violence within the criminal justice system and assisting


Rothna Begum

Rothna Begum is the Legal Advocacy Director at the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Waging Justice for Women initiative. She has over 17 years’ professional experience in human rights, including expertise on women’s rights and migrant workers’ rights. Before joining CFJ in 2024, she was Associate Director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch.


Thailand vs. Dr. Chutima Sidasathian

A new report by TrialWatch and Covington & Burling LLP assigns a D grade to the trial of Dr. Chutima Sidasathian, a Thai journalist and human rights defender, citing strong evidence that the case is a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) aimed at silencing her reporting. The report is available in English, with a


Kyrgyz Republic v. Temirov LIVE Journalists et al.

A new report by TrialWatch and Covington & Burling LLP assigns the trial of independent journalists affiliated with YouTube-based outlets Temirov LIVE and Ait Ait Dese in Kyrgyzstan a D grade. They were convicted of spurious incitement charges on October 10, 2024, allegedly for making ‘negative remarks’ about the government. The report is in English


Alex Butcher-Nesbitt

Alex Butcher-Nesbitt is director of communications for the Clooney Foundation for Justice, where he leads a team of storytellers and digital experts who reach new audiences around the globe to illustrate the organization’s legal and advocacy impact. Prior to joining CFJ, Alex led media relations for NBC News’ Washington Bureau, where he served as a


Clooney Foundation for Justice Announces 2025 Waging Justice for Women Fellows


Senamile Madlala

Senamile Madlala is serving her fellowship with the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA). Her expertise includes constitutional law, international law, social activism, strategic and impact litigation, with a focus on applying a feminist and intersectional lens. She began her legal career at the Women’s Legal Centre, working on issues ranging from relationship equality