Melanie Nathan is an internationally recognized expert on LGBTQI+ asylum and refugee protection in Sub-Saharan Africa and has previously been qualified as an expert witness in U.S. Immigration Courts and other international legal proceedings.
As Executive Director of the African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC), she has worked directly with LGBTQI+ asylum seekers facing persecution, denial of refugee registration, and forced displacement across multiple jurisdictions, including Uganda.
She provides expert country-conditions reports in support of asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture (CAT) claims, including matters involving third-country removal and motions to pretermit.
Reports may be tailored to the specific facts of an individual case or provided in generalized expert form, depending on the needs of counsel and the court, and are grounded in direct field experience, documented patterns of state practice, and long-term engagement with affected communities.
At a time when procedural mechanisms are increasingly used to foreclose protection without full adjudication, her expert analysis is designed to assist courts in evaluating risk, safety, and the real-world consequences of removal, particularly for LGBTQI+ individuals whose identities are criminalized by law and practice.
Ms. Nathan is currently engaged in expert analysis and reporting in cases involving motions to pretermit based on proposed third-country removal to Uganda. This work addresses whether Uganda constitutes a legally and factually viable country of removal for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers, including the availability of refugee registration, access to asylum procedures, state practice toward LGBTQI+ individuals, and the likelihood of exposure to persecution or harm.
Her analysis is informed by direct experience with cases in which Uganda has refused to register or adjudicate LGBTQI+ refugee claims, leaving individuals without legal status or protection. These reports are designed to assist courts in evaluating threshold claims of third-country safety and availability before pretermission is granted.
Contact Melanie Nathan commissionermnathan@gmail.com
Country Conditions Reporting for Asylum Seekers 