Mr. Abdul Tejan-Cole is Executive Director of the African Studies Association (ASA). As a noted international human rights lawyer and activist, Abdul has more than 25 years’ experience of leadership in African Studies, with a specific focus on human rights, anti-corruption, environmental and social justice, post-conflict resolution, transitional justice and the rule of law.
He is a strong advocate for the prosecution of the destruction of the environment, the illegal exploitation of natural resources or the illegal dispossession of land as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute. He served as Secretary General, Vice President, and President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, as well as president of the West Africa Bar Association. Abdul was a war crimes prosecutor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
He taught land law and the environment at the University of Sierra Leone and holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) Degree from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, a Master of Laws from University College London and a post-graduate diploma in International Trade Law from the University Institute of European Studies. He was a Human Rights Teaching Fellow at Columbia University in New York, is a Yale World Fellow, was a recipient of the 2001 Human Rights Watch Annual Award and is a member of the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability. He has published widely on human rights and international justice issues.
Abdul played cricket at school, university and at the national level and sponsored a junior cricket team in Sierra Leone
