Ep 119: Through the Gates of Hell: Joshua Colangelo-Bryan on the Fight for Justice at Guantanamo Bay

Host Sarah Henry meets Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, a renowned human rights lawyer and special counsel at Human Rights First. Joshua shares his journey into law, his role in the fight for justice at Guantanamo Bay, and the inspiration behind his new book Through the Gates of Hell: American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay.   Joshua Colangelo-Bryan is Special Counsel at Human Rights First, where he spearheads impact litigation and advocacy efforts to uphold democratic principles and support defenders of human rights. Beyond representing Guantanamo detainees, he has sued Turkey for assaulting protestors in Washington, D.C., the Trump administration for attempting to deport a college student based on protest activity, and a U.S. pastor who fomented legislation in Uganda criminalizing the LGBTQI community. Josh has conducted human-rights investigations in countries such as Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain. He also served with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo.   To find out more on Through the Gates of Hell, American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay visit: https://humanitasmedia.org/through-the-gates-of-hell/   For more on the work of  Human Rights First please see: https://humanrightsfirst.org/

A short reminder of the Activist Lawyer Book club with registration details is discussed in today’s episode.  The next Book Club Meeting features 'Pride and Prejudices Queer Lives and the Law by Keio Yoshida. Tune in to find out more!  

In this special episode of The Activist Lawyer Podcast, host Sarah Henry sits down with international human rights lawyer and barrister, Keio Yoshida, to explore their journey into law and the release of their new book ‘Pride and Prejudices: Queer Lives and the Law.’ Celebrating the progression in LGBTQ+ rights while highlighting the pressing issues still faced by queer communities around the world, this conversation is an inspiring yet sobering look at the path ahead for LGBTQ+ legal advocacy.   Dr Keio Yoshida is a human rights barrister at Doughty Street Chambers and author of Pride and Prejudices: Queer lives and the law (Scribe, 2025), and co-author with Jen Robinson of Silenced Women (Octopus, 2024)/How Many More Women (Allen & Unwin, 2022). Keio is an international advisory board member of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. In 2025, Keio was named by Attitude Magazine as one of the top 101 global LGBTQ+ trailblazers. Keio´s main domestic practice is in the areas of inquests, inquiries, and human rights law.   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keioyoshida/

In this episode,  criminal defence attorney, business coach, and visionary educator Courtney Teasley, Esq. joins host Sarah Henry to discuss her revolutionary approach to justice. As the founder of emeffen™ and creator of the MFN Framework for Proactive Advocacy, Courtney is changing the way we fight systemic injustice. She shares how her work empowers disproportionately affected, marginalized minorities (D.A.M.M.) with the legal knowledge and strategies to prevent convictions before they even reach the courtroom. From grassroots campaigns to innovative legal education, Courtney is reshaping the criminal justice landscape and providing communities with the tools to proactively resist its most harmful traps.   Courtney Teasley, Esq. Criminal Defense Attorney | Advocacy Strategist | Founder of emeffen™ Courtney Teasley is a nationally recognized criminal defense attorney, business coach, and visionary educator shifting the paradigm on how we fight systemic injustice. As the founder of emeffen™ and creator of the MFN Framework for Proactive Advocacy, Courtney leads a movement to empower disproportionately affected, marginalized minorities (D.A.M.M.) with the legal knowledge and strategy to prevent convictions—before the courtroom ever comes into view. Her impact spans grassroots campaigns, justice-focused curriculum development, and legal education for both community members and lawyers. Through her Easy Way to Learn Your Rights book series, school-based criminal justice literacy programs, and D.A.M.M. Advocate and Legal Warrior trainings, Courtney equips everyday people, educators, and defense attorneys to proactively resist the criminal justice system’s most insidious traps. Whether speaking to students, churches, or national audiences, she delivers bold, accessible frameworks that challenge the status quo and offer real, community-rooted alternatives. Her work has not only influenced elections but has also helped reunite families separated by state violence and launched legal innovations that are reshaping justice across the country. Links to Courtney’s work: https://emeffen.com YouTube: @blacklawgirl https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NMLkUJhmlU221ERBSAP7g Book Series: The Easy Way to Learn Your Rights https://emeffen.myshopify.com/products/book-bundle

In this episode, Sarah speaks with Roman Shortall, a solicitor and investigative journalist, about his unique career at the crossroads of law and media. Roman shares examples of where his legal background and journalistic approach have combined to secure impactful outcomes. This timely discussion also addresses the recent detention of activists and humanitarians by Israeli forces in international waters - a situation that has drawn criticism over the inaction of the international community. The conversation also explores High Court proceedings concerning the use of Irish airspace by military flights transporting arms to Israel.   Roman Shortall is a practising solicitor and co-founder of independent Irish news platform The Ditch. He won Newcomer of the Year at the Law Society of Ireland Justice Media Awards 2023 for his work exposing wrongdoing at Ireland's state planning body. For the past year, he has collaborated with investigative news outlets across the globe to uncover the flow of weapons to Israel.    To follow Roman’s work please see links below: https://www.ontheditch.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wereontheditch/?hl=en

In this episode, human rights expert and senior policy advisor Brian Dooley joins Sarah to share his experience of working in conflict zones and supporting human rights defenders as they work under extremely challenging circumstances.  This episode explores the intersection of activism and policy while offering insights into working in the human rights sector more generally. As Senior Advisor, Brian supports Human Rights First’s work with human rights activists in hostile environments. Prior to serving as Senior Advisor, Brian directed Human Rights First’s engagement with the U.S. government and other partners to end threats and obstacles to human rights defenders. From 2020 to 2023, he served as Senior Advisor to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. Prior to joining Human Rights First, Brian spent twenty years working for U.S., Irish, and international NGOs. He led Amnesty International’s work on partnering with national NGOs in the global South. Brian has also worked as Head of Media for Amnesty International in London and in Dublin and as Director of Communications for Public Citizen in Washington, D.C. He is the author of several books about civil rights and U.S. politics. He had early experience on Capitol Hill, serving as a legislative researcher for Senator Edward Kennedy in the mid-1980s when he contributed to what ultimately became the 1986 Anti-Apartheid Act. In 1981 and 1982, Brian lived and worked as an English teacher and community organizer in a black township in South Africa, which was prohibited under apartheid’s racial segregation laws. Brian earned a PhD in the transnational history of rights from the University of East Anglia, an MPhil in Government and Politics from The Open University in London, and a B.A. with honours in Political Science from the University of East Anglia.

We kick start a new season of Activist Lawyer with dual-qualified solicitor Miglena Ilieva.  Miglena is founder of ILEX Law Group – a law firm specialising in UK and Irish immigration law.  Miglena shares what motivated her to build upon her career as an immigration lawyer practicing in multiple jurisdictions before setting up her own practice providing services across the UK and Ireland.  Miglena touches on some important cases flagging challenging areas of immigration law impacting her clients.  If you ever contemplated working in immigration law, listen in for solid advice and insights from an experienced immigration lawyer.   Miglena Ilieva - Founding Partner of ILEX Law Group, a law firm specialising in UK and Irish immigration law Miglena Ilieva is a dual-qualified solicitor in Ireland and in England and Wales with over 15 years of experience in immigration law. Her practice covers nationality, asylum, human rights, personal and corporate immigration. She has worked in leading markets including London, New York and Dublin and advises on both UK and Irish immigration matters.   Originally from Bulgaria, Miglena moved to the UK as a teenager. Her personal experience informs her practical, client-focused approach. She has handled a wide range of cases, including high-profile and complex matters, and has undertaken extensive pro bono work throughout her career. Miglena is motivated by helping clients succeed against systemic barriers in an area of law that is politically sensitive, fast-moving and often adversarial. Miglena has lived and worked across four continents. She is Co-Chair of the International Women’s Rights Committee at the New York Women’s Bar Association and previously co-chaired the Professional Support Lawyers Group at ILPA. Under her leadership, the PSL team she managed was shortlisted for a LexisNexis Award in 2019. Miglena also provides training on  Immigration Advice Authority (previously OISC) exams with Free Movement - a prominent UK immigration publication   She founded ILEX Law Group, a law firm specialising in UK and Irish immigration law in January 2025. 

Sarah speaks with solicitor Aine Rice, who works on the Legacy Litigation and Historical Institutional Abuse Team at KRW Law, about Stormont’s proposed inquiry and redress scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby Homes. With growing concerns over the scheme being ‘unfit for purpose,’ Aine shares insights from her work supporting survivors and challenging systemic failings.   Aine Rice graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a degree in Law in 2020. In 2021, she joined KRW Law as a paralegal, before commencing a training contract with the firm in September 2022. She qualified as a solicitor in 2024 and joined the firm’s Legacy Litigation and Historical Institutional Abuse Team. In this role, Aine has been involved in civil actions against religious organisations and state bodies in relation to historical abuse. She also advised the creators of the television series Blue Lights on a storyline involving a trainee solicitor working on a legacy case.   For more on Aine’s work follow: https://krw-law.ie/

A short reminder of the Activist Lawyer Book Club with registration details is discussed in today’s episode.  The next Book Club Meeting features ‘Just Mercy’ by Bryan Stevenson. Tune in to find out more!   Next Activist Lawyer Book Club 4th September 6.30pm (GMT) Register: [email protected]

Activist Lawyer welcomes Kenneth Roth, former long-serving Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, for a compelling conversation about his career at the forefront of the global human rights movement. Drawing on his new book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, Kenneth shares insights into confronting authoritarian regimes, defending the ‘rule of law’ in the Trump era, protecting academic freedom, and evaluating the role of international institutions today. He also shares valuable advice for those aspiring to a career in international human rights. This is a timely and thought-provoking episode with one of the world’s most respected human rights advocates- not to be missed!