Board of Directors & Advisory Council
Meet our Board Members
Co-Founder & President of Violess e.V.
Douna Haj Ahmad
Douna is a Syrian woman Human Rights Activist and Journalist. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Master's in Interpretation and Translation from Damascus University. Notably, in 2017, Douna was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship by the UK government, enabling her to enhance further her knowledge and expertise in the field of human rights; where she completed her MA degree in Human Rights from the University of York, where she delved into the complexities of human rights practice. Her journey as a human rights advocate began in Syria at a remarkably young age. She has also worked at the UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Syria.
She actively participated in many fellowship programs in London, where she is currently based. Among them is a program organized by the UN Refugee Agency to empower and uplift refugee journalists. Another one was a fellowship supported by the Open Society Foundation.
Chairman of the Advisory Council of Violess e.V.
Prof. Dr. Heiner Bielfeldt
Professor. Dr. Heiner is a German philosopher, historian, and theologian. He studied philosophy, theology, and history at the universities of Bonn and Tübingen. In 1989, he obtained his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Tübingen with a thesis on social contract theories. In 2000, he completed his habilitation in philosophy at the University of Bremen with a thesis on the philosophy of human rights. Bielefeldt has taught at various universities, including Mannheim, Heidelberg, Toronto, Bielefeld, Bremen, Oslo, and Erlangen-Nuremberg. Since 2009, he has been Chair of Human Rights and Human Rights Policy at Friedrich-Alexander University.
From 2003 to 2009, he served as the German Institute for Human Rights director. In addition, from 2010 to 2016, he held the position of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. In this capacity, Bielefeldt conducted fact-finding missions in numerous countries and prepared thematic reports for the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. In 2014, he received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Lucerne. The Brigham Young University in Provo, USA, awarded him the 2016 Religious Freedom Service Award. In 2017, he was awarded the Alfons Auer Ethics Prize by the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Tübingen. In October 2017, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded Professor Heiner Bielefeldt the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (First Class).
Vice President of Violess e.V.
Abdullah Al-Nofal
Abdullah is a Syrian political and economic analyst specializing in regional affairs and economic issues. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Damascus University. With his broad experience in the humanitarian field, Abdullah has spent over eight years working in Syria with prestigious international organizations such as the International Red Cross and the United Nations.
In addition, Abdullah earned a Master's degree in Advanced Humanitarian Studies from the Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Studies. Through his participation in a fellowship program with the U.S. Department of State, Abdullah has added to his skills and deep understanding of international political issues. He possesses strong practical experience in political and financial analysis.
Managing Director of Violess e.V.
Suha Salman Mousa
Suha is a Palestinian Human rights defender. She holds an MBA degree from Haifa University. She has assumed various management and leadership roles within diverse organizations. Currently, Suha works as the Executive Director of the Mossawa Center, an Advocacy Center dedicated to promoting the rights and democratic society of Palestinian Arab citizens. In this role, she oversees and enhances Mossawa's efforts in parliamentary, legal, international, and media advocacy to advance the rights of Palestinian citizens. Additionally, she focuses on strengthening community engagement and empowerment.
In recent years, Suha has spearheaded the establishment of Friends of Mossawa in the United States, aimed at promoting the Center's work internationally and amplifying the voices of the Palestinian community on a global scale.
Management Team
Meet our Executive Management Members
Co-Founder & Executive Director of Violess e.V.
Dr. Abdulkader Haj Ahmad
Dr. Abdulkader is a German-Syrian researcher, consultant, and Human Rights advocate who specialises in Political Science and Human Rights Policy. He holds a BA in English Literature in Syria. For over seven years, he worked on youth development initiatives and humanitarian work with civil society organizations and several United Nations agencies in Syria. In early 2016, he had to leave Syria and seek asylum in Germany.
In Germany, he pursued his studies in Human Rights and obtained a Master's degree from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg in 2021. Throughout his academic journey, Abdulkader has researched various pressing issues, including gender equality, Islamophobia in Europe, and the escalating discourse of hatred against refugees in Europe. Notably, his master's thesis focused on the right to know the fate of forcibly disappeared individuals in Syrian detentions.
Dr. Abdulkader has participated in numerous conferences and workshops centred around refugee issues, migration, and refugee rights. Currently, he serves as a consultant for migrant and refugee affairs at the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Additionally, he is writing his doctoral thesis titled "The Totalitarian Nature and Features of Dictatorial Regimes Governing in the Middle East Region" in the Department of Political Science and Human Rights Policy at the same university.
Program Director of Violess e.V.
Ghayd Abdolrazzak
Ghayd is a Syrian women's rights activist. She graduated from the Faculty of Economics, specializing in Business Administration, at Al-Furat University in Syria in 2010. In Syria, she worked in her own company specializing in marketing and recruitment while also serving as part of the management team at the Ministry of Health.
She arrived in Germany in 2016 and joined various initiatives to support refugees, including supporting the integration and education of refugee women in Schleswig-Holstein. She had her degree recognized in Germany and subsequently worked at AS System, a company in the accounting sector, in 2019. She transitioned to project management roles in other companies between 2021 and 2022, focusing on humanitarian work. She is a member of several humanitarian associations in Europe and beyond.
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