Tanya Mehra LL.M

Tanya Mehra LL.M is a Senior Research Fellow and Programme Lead (Rule of Law Responses to Terrorism) at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague. With a background in international law Tanya is involved in conducting research, providing evidence-based policy advice, advising governments on a rule of a law approach in countering terrorism. Previously she worked at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut where she was engaged with conducting needs assessment missions, capacity building projects and training activities.

Tanya’s main areas of interest are international (criminal) law and rule of law approaches in countering terrorism, with a special focus on accountability of terrorism-related crimes,  human rights implications of countering terrorism approaches. Other topics of interests include the repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters, military evidence and the use of administrative measures in counter-terrorism context. She works closely with policy makers, judges, prosecutors and other actors of the criminal justice sector as well as international organisations such as UN CTED and GCTF.

At ICCT, Tanya is currently leading a project exploring the criminal justice responses to the linkage between terrorism, transnational organized crimes and international crimes, developing a training and policy kit on a RoL base use of administrative measures within a CT context and involved in a research project exploring the trafficking of small arms and lights weapons as source of financing for terrorist organisations.

Recently she worked as a senior consultant to UN CTED on developing global guidelines to facilitate the collection of information and evidence by military within a rule-of-law framework and under auspices of – GCTF Criminal Justice and Rule of Law  (CJ-ROL) Working Group Co-Chairs – Nigeria and Switzerland – responsible for developing the Abuja Recommendations on the Collection, Use and Sharing of Evidence for Purposes of Criminal Prosecution of Terrorist Suspectsand on the Glion Recommendations on a Rule of Law based Use of Administrative Measures in a CT context.

Key ICCT Publications:

Mehra, T. De Repatriëring van Vijf Vrouwen en Elf Kinderen uit Syrië: een Keerpunt in Nederland? Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 11 February 2022

Mehra, T. The Repatriation of Five Women and their Children from Syria: A Turning Point in the Netherlands? Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 11 February 2022

Mehra, T., Demuynck M., Wentworth, M. Weapons in Afghanistan: The Taliban’s Spoils of War. Policy Brief, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 07 February 2022

Ginkel, B. van., Wentworth, M.,Mehra, T. The Expanding Use of Administrative Measures in a Counter-Terrorism Context – Part 2: In Need of a Gender and Age-Sensitive Approach. Policy Brief, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 29 November 2021

Mehra, T., Wentworth, M.,Ginkel, B. van. The Expanding Use of Administrative Measures in a Counter-Terrorism Context. Part 1: In Need of Rule of Law Safeguards. Policy Brief, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 10 November 2021

Mehra, T. and Wentworth, M. The Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan: Regional Responses and Security Threats. Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 27 August 2021

Mehra, T. and Coleman, J. The Fall of Afghanistan: A Blow to Counter-Terrorism and Rule of Law Efforts. Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 23 August 2021

Mehra, T, “Voorbij de verkiezingsprogramma’s: Wat kunnen we de komende vier jaar verwachten van de aanpak van radicalisering en bestrijding van het terrorisme?” Nederlands Juristenblad, Aflevering 23, 11 juni 2021, pp. 1880-1886 / Published in English by The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism as: Beyond the Dutch Election Manifestos: What kind of policy can we expect in The Netherlands to counter terrorism and radicalisation in the coming four years? Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 18 June 2021

Mehra T., Demuynck M., Clarke C., Duquet N., Lumley C. and Wentworth M. Cashing in on Guns: Identifying the Nexus between Small Arms, Light Weapons and Terrorist Financing. Report, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 24 March 2021

Mehra, T. and Wentworth, M. New Kid on the Block: prosecution of ISIS fighters by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 16 March 2021

Mehra, T. and Cook, J. An attack on the Capitol and democracy: an act of terrorism? Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 11 January 2021

Mehra, T. and Coleman, J. Vienna Attack: the Path of a Prospective (Foreign) Terrorist Fighter, Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 16 November 2020

Mehra, T. The long and winding road to bringing the ISIS ‘Beatles’ to justice. Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 27 August 2020

Demuynck, M., Mehra, T. LLM., and Bergema, R. The Use of Small Arms & Light Weapons by Terrorist Organisations as a Source of Finance in West Africa and the Horn of Africa. Situation Report, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 1 July 2020

Demuynck, M., Mehra, T. LLM., and Bergema, R. The Use of Small Arms & Light Weapons by Terrorist Organisations as a Source of Finance in South and Southeast Asia. Situation Report, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 17 June 2020

Demuynck, M., Mehra, T. LLM., and Bergema, R. The Use of Small Arms & Light Weapons by Terrorist Organisations as a Source of Finance in the Middle East and North Africa, Situation Report, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 3 June 2020

Mehra, T., European countries are being challenged in court to repatriate their foreign fighters and families, Perspective, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 7 November 2019

Mehra, T., Paulussen C., The Repatriation of Foreign Fighters and Their Families: Options, Obligations, Morality and Long-Term Thinking, March 2019

Mehra, T., Bringing (Foreign) Terrorist Fighters to Justice in a Post-ISIS Landscape Part III: Collecting Evidence from Conflict Situations, Perspectives, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, June 2018.

Bos, Walle, Bibi van Ginkel and Tanya Mehra. “Capacity-Building Challenges: Identifying Progress and Remaining Gaps in Dealing Foreign (Terrorist) Fighters.” The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague 9 (2018).

Mehra, T., Bringing (Foreign) Terrorist Fighters to Justice in a Post-ISIS Landscape Part II: Prosecution by Foreign National Courts, Perspectives, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, January 2018.

Mehra, T., Bringing (Foreign) Terrorist Fighters to Justice in a Post-ISIS Landscape Part I: Prosecution by Iraqi and Syrian Courts, Perspectives, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, December 2017.

Foreign Terrorist Fighters: Trends, Dynamics and Human Rights Implications, Mehra T., Security and Human Rights, Volume 27, Issue 1-2, 2017, pages 148 – 186.

Mehra, T. “Foreign Terrorist Fighters: Trends, Dynamics and Policy Responses”, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (2016).