Marian Da Silva is the TrialWatch Legal Fellow at the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute. Before joining HRI, Da Silva built substantial expertise in human rights law, international advocacy, and strategic litigation. As a human rights lawyer at Defiende Venezuela and the Observatory for Crimes Against Humanity, she represented over 50 victims of serious human rights violations—including arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial executions, and torture—before bodies such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations, and the International Criminal Court. Her strategic litigation and advocacy efforts extended beyond Venezuela to countries including Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Cuba, where she focused on securing justice and accountability for human rights abuses. 

Da Silva has trained more than 200 human rights defenders globally, equipping them with the skills to navigate international human rights mechanisms and advocate for social change. She has led workshops and delivered public speaking training with a focus on empowering vulnerable groups, including women, journalists, and LGBTQ+ communities. At UCL, Da Silva was actively involved in the PIL Pro Bono Project, conducting research on discriminatory torture and the protection of vulnerable groups. She also co-authored Pathway to Freedom: Handbook for the Liberation of Political Prisoners, which provides guidance on advocating for the release of political prisoners. In her previous role as Deputy Secretary of the OAS Panel of Independent Experts investigating possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela, Da Silva contributed to high-level investigations and reporting that addressed henious human rights violations. 

She holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Human Rights Law and International Law with honors from University College London (UCL), funded by the Chevening Scholarship and graduated cum laude and as valedictorian from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Venezuela.