Rugemeleza Nshala

Rugemeleza Nshala (Tanzania)

"Nshala is a leading rights activist in Tanzania and an alumnus of HLS, where he received his LL.M. degree in 1997. Nshala founded the Lawyers' Environmental Action Team (LEAT) in 1994 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and served as its executive director until September 2003. In that role, in addition to organizing conferences and events, he served as counsel before Tanzania's High Court on behalf of those affected by the dumping of hazardous wastes. Nshala also taught environmental law at University of Lands and Architectural Studies, a Constituent College of the University of Dar es Salaam. As a Visiting Fellow at the Human Rights Program during the 2003-2004 academic year, Nshala researched violations of human rights in Tanzania's mining sector, with a focus on the role of the World Bank. This is a topic on which he has amassed a great deal of first hand experience, having been very engaged in the defense of the rights of local communities affected by World Bank-financed mining projects in Tanzania."

• Former Visiting Fellow, Human Rights Program: Former Visiting Fellows