Saman Zia-Zarifi is PHR’s Executive Director, guiding its work and representing the organization to policy, practitioner, donor, and constituent communities. An Iranian-American lawyer with 30 years of experience, he previously served as Secretary-General of the International Commission of Jurists, leading initiatives on accountability mechanisms and public health responses across 50 countries. Before the ICJ, Zarifi directed Amnesty International’s Asia & Pacific program and held senior roles at Human Rights Watch, conducting research and advocacy in conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Nepal. He has also been a senior research fellow at Erasmus University, focusing on business and human rights, and worked as a corporate litigator.