Khalid Ramizy

Expert Overview

Khalid Ramizy is a young leader and human rights activist from Afghanistan who started his human rights advocacy at a young age, following the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the World Anti-Extremism Network, an international non-profit organization headquartered in Canada dedicated to creating a world free from violent extremism and authoritarianism.

After being forced to leave his country, following nearly two decades of activism, Khalid joined the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh as a Research Scholar. For over 14 years, he served as the CEO of the Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization (AELSO), a prominent free-market and human rights think tank in Afghanistan. Additionally, he founded Silk Road Station, Afghanistan’s first online educational radio station promoting free society values for Afghanistan and other Persian-speaking countries. He is also one of the founders and Senior Fellows of The White Assembly, dedicated to countering extremism among Afghan youths since 2015.

Khalid is the author of “The Stolen Republic” and he has co-authored a number of other books. He's also translated well-known works on free society into Afghan languages. Khalid holds a B.A. in Law & Political Science and an M.A. in Educational Management. He's organized numerous events over two decades, aiming to establish liberal democracy and counter fundamentalism. Khalid's activism has earned him recognition in the form of many national and international awards.