Abdulrazzaq (Razzaq) al-Saiedi’s work at PHR supports and coordinates local Iraqi initiatives that promote justice and strengthen democratic institutions. This work addresses the investigation and collection of evidence in regard to the crimes of torture and sexual violence resulting from the persecution of the Yazidi population in Northern Iraq by ISIL. Al-Saiedi is an author and expert in human rights and transitional justice.
Prior to joining PHR, he worked as a human rights/transitional justice officer at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, where he developed and implemented advocacy strategies to build transitional justice processes in post-Qaddafi Libya. From 2011 to 2013, he conducted research for PHR on violations of medical neutrality and other human rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Al-Saiedi was a fellow and researcher at the Carr Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he examined electoral systems in Iraq following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. At the International Center for Transitional Justice, al-Saiedi designed intervention strategies and served as the organization’s liaison in Iraq. He reported on Iraqi politics and conflict for the New York Times and co-wrote a report on de-Baathification in Iraq.
Al-Saiedi was a Harvard Nieman Fellow in 2007. He is fluent in English and Arabic and holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.