What Does an Expert Report Contain? Section by Section

An expert witness report follows a standard twelve-section structure, shown here through Afghan asylum applications. It complements our earlier expert report contents article with concrete Afghanistan case examples across women's rights, former government workers, and Hazara profiles.[1]

UK Civil Procedure Rules Part 35 and Practice Direction 35, along with UK Upper Tribunal Practice Direction on Expert Evidence (2023), govern report structure. Afghan cases benefit from strong UN documentation base that maps directly to standard report sections.

Section 1: Cover Page

Author, qualifications, instructing party, applicant reference, date.[2]

Section 2: Expert Declaration

UK CPR 35.10 declaration mandatory. Duty to court above party.

Section 3: Author Qualifications

Afghan expert qualifications typically include:[3]

Academic credentials — PhD or equivalent in relevant discipline. Afghanistan-specific expertise — 10+ years engagement. Publications on Afghanistan. Language capacity — Dari and/or Pashto. Fieldwork — pre- and post-August 2021. Prior tribunal experience. Independence.

Section 4: Instructions

Disclosed as CPR 35 requires. Afghan case typical instructions:

Applicant profile analysis. Specific risk on return. Taliban targeting patterns for this profile. Internal relocation viability. State protection availability. UNHCR non-return advisory context.

Section 5: Applicant Profile

Summary of Afghan applicant's circumstances relevant to analysis.[4]

Demographic — age, gender, ethnicity, religion. Geographic origin — province, district. Political/religious/employment history. Persecution history. Departure circumstances (evacuation or subsequent flight). Sur place activity. Family situation.

Section 6: Country Background

Afghanistan-specific background.[5]

Post-August 2021 political situation. Taliban governance structure — Kandahar leadership; ministerial system. Ethnic-religious composition (Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen; Sunni/Shia). Security services (MPVPV, GDI intelligence). ISKP presence. Recent developments (2024-2026).

Section 7: Profile-Specific Conditions

Longest and most substantive section. Applied to Afghan profile.[6]

For Women's Cases

80+ Taliban edicts documented. September 2024 Vice and Virtue Law analysis. Enforcement patterns by province. Individual vulnerability factors.

For Former Government Workers

UN OHCHR 800+ documented extra-judicial killings. Kill list operational mechanics. Biometric data appropriation. Category-specific targeting patterns.

For Hazaras

Taliban discrimination patterns. ISKP attack documentation. Regional variation (Daykundi, Bamyan). Land expropriation.

Section 8: Individual Risk Analysis

Applying country conditions to specific Afghan applicant.[7]

HKIA reception risk. Community-level identification. Taliban intelligence knowledge of applicant. Family targeting patterns. Sur place activity discovery risk.

Section 9: State Protection

Afghanistan analysis: Taliban is state; no alternative protection. Horvath framework.[8]

Section 10: Internal Relocation

Not viable — Taliban controls all Afghanistan. Januzi/AH (Sudan) framework typically defeats relocation.[9]

Section 11: Specific Questions

Individual instructed questions addressed. Typical Afghan case questions:

Would this specific ex-ANDSF member be identified?. Is applicant's specific women's profile targeted?. Does Hazara identity create additional risk in region?. Does sur place activism create ongoing risk?.

Section 12: Overall Opinion

Integrated risk conclusion drawing on all sections.

Appendices

Full CV of expert. Bibliography — UN SR reports, UNAMA, OHCHR, CPIN, HRW, AI. Key document copies where relevant.

Afghanistan-Specific Considerations

Post-August 2021 dating — pre-Taliban evidence must be updated. UN SR Bennett annual report incorporation. September 2024 Vice and Virtue Law reference. UK CG cases (YMKA and Others) citation. UNHCR non-return advisory acknowledgement.

Length and Style

Afghan country expert reports typically 25-40 pages. Analytical style. Third-person referring to applicant. Present tense for current conditions.

Afghan expert reports follow standard 12-section structure with country-specific content. Post-August 2021 currency is critical; UN SR/UNAMA/CPIN sources central; YMKA CG framework important for women's cases. Standard length 25-40 pages meets tribunal expectations.
UK Upper Tribunal Practice Direction on Expert Evidence (2023)

Conclusion

Standard expert report contents follow 12-section structure for Afghan cases with post-August 2021 currency essential. UN SR/UNAMA/OHCHR sources, YMKA CG framework, UNHCR non-return advisory shape analysis. Country experts include Giustozzi, Semple, Ruttig, Clark. See our companion earlier report contents article, expert witness Afghanistan article, and Afghan asylum evidence article.