Victor ZAHARIA is a lawyer with 20 years of experience in Human Rights and Criminal Justice field, acting as an independent expert/consultant for UNDP, UNICEF, UNODC, CoE, EUDM, OSCE, PRI and other agencies and institutions in areas as prison reform, police reform, torture prevention, monitoring places of detention, alternatives to detention, human rights training, national human rights institutions, access to justice, legal aid and justice for children. He has a PhD degree in law (2006, Moldova State University), is an associate professor of law at the Moldova State University, Director/expert of the Institute for Penal Reform and former Chairperson of the National Legal Aid Council from Moldova (2008-2016).

He is member of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT, 2013-present; 2017-present - vice-chair) and former member of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT, 2013-2017)