Dr. Anton Burkov, Ph.D. -Curriculum Vitae
Country Conditions Expert Witness & International Human Rights Scholar-Practitioner
Human rights lawyer and academic with over 20 years of experience litigating before the Russian Supreme and Constitutional Courts, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and United Nations bodies.
Human rights lawyer and academic with over 20 years of experience litigating before the Russian Supreme and Constitutional Courts, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and United Nations bodies.
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Education
- Ph.D. in Law (International Human Rights Law), Cambridge University, UK
- Candidate of Sciences in Law (Ph.D. equivalent), Tiumen State University, Russia
- LL.M. (International Human Rights Law), Essex University, UK
- Law Degree (J.D. equivalent), Urals State Law Academy, Russia
Fellowships & Boards
- IIE-SRF Scholar Rescue Fund Fellow (2023–2025)
- Fulbright Fellow, Harvard Law School (2020)
- Galina Starovoitova Fellow, Kennan Institute, Wilson Center (2014)
- Emeritus Board Member: European Prison Litigation Network (EPLN)
Core Areas of Expertise:
Written expert opinions and analysis
Expert witness testimony
Country conditions information
Consultations
Expert witness testimony
Country conditions information
Consultations
- Russian Legal System
- Political Persecution
- Strategic Litigation
- Authoritarian Legal Mechanisms
Expert Qualifications at a Glance
- 20+Years of Legal & Academic Experience
- 6Expert Reports Admitted in US Courts
Expert Witness & Advisory Experience
Country Conditions Expert Witness | U.S. Immigration Courts | 2024 – Present
Retained by leading U.S. law firms (including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Duane Morris LLP, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP) to provide expert analysis in high-stakes political asylum and withholding of removal cases.
Retained by leading U.S. law firms (including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Duane Morris LLP, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP) to provide expert analysis in high-stakes political asylum and withholding of removal cases.
- Expert Reports & Testimony: Draft bespoke, comprehensive Country Condition Reports and provide oral testimony before U.S. Immigration Judges regarding the current degradation of the rule of law in the Russian Federation.
- Areas of Expertise: Provide authoritative analysis on the application of "Foreign Agent" and "Undesirable Organization" laws, persecution for anti-war speech, risks related to military mobilization and defection, state-sponsored persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, and the impossibility of a fair trial for targeted demographics in Russia.
- Extradition Analysis: Advise on cross-border extradition risks and international human rights frameworks, including the application of ECHR obligations (non-refoulement) in post-Soviet jurisdictions.
2018 – Present
2018 – Present
Founder & Executive Director | Strategic Litigation Center / URFAQ
- Founded and direct an international NGO providing elite-level training on strategic human rights litigation to legal professionals across Eurasia.
- Political Prisoner Advocacy: Actively lead ongoing campaigns supporting imprisoned human rights attorneys and activists in Russia.
- Strategic Litigation: Spearheaded multi-year, high-impact litigation campaigns, establishing legal precedents before the Russian Supreme Court and ECHR.
2023 – 2025
2023 – 2025
Visiting Scholar | Paris Nanterre University, France
- Hosted as a Scholar-at-Risk through the Institute of International Education (IIE-SRF) and French PAUSE fellowships following forced exile from Russia.
- Delivered lectures on contemporary issues in Russian and international human rights law to graduate-level students and faculty.
2017 – 2022
2017 – 2022
Elected Deputy | Lomonosovsky Municipal District Council, Moscow, Russia
- Served a five-year elected term as a municipal deputy in Moscow, overseeing local governance matters and constituent representation within the Russian municipal system.
2009 – 2022
2009 – 2022
Chair, Center of European Law | University of Humanities, Russia
- Served as the administrative and academic head of the university's European Law Center. Established and directed a human rights law clinic.
2011 – 2013
2011 – 2013
Director (Chief of Party) | Management Systems International (MSI)
- Directed a multi-million-dollar USAID-funded civil society and human rights program in Russia, overseeing 80 sub-grants to 48 local NGOs.
2001 – 2019
2001 – 2019
Deputy Director & Senior Staff Attorney | NGO Human Rights Resource Center “Sutyajnik”
- Co-led a prominent Russian human rights resource center. Safely navigated the organization through severe government crackdowns before its liquidation by the state under the "Foreign Agent" law.
- Burkov, Anton, and Todd Brower, eds. *Strategic Litigation of Public Interest Cases: US and Russian Best Practice*. Moscow, 2020.
- Burkov, Anton, ed. *How To Bring International Human Rights Home: Strategic Litigation at National and International Courts*. Moscow, 2018.
- Burkov, Anton. *The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights in Russian Courts*. Moscow: Wolters Kluwer, 2010.
- Burkov, Anton. “The Use of European Human Rights Law in Russian Courts.” In *Russia and the European Court of Human Rights: The Strasbourg Effect*, Cambridge University Press, 2018.
- Burkov, Anton. “How to Improve the Results of a Reluctant Player: the Case of Russia and the ECHR.” In *The European Court of Human Rights And its Discontents*, Edward Elgar, 2013.
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