“The dust has only partially settled,” says Kenneth Roth, recalling some unexpected drama.
The 67-year-old New Yorker is often referred to as the “godfather” of human rights work during his 30 years as head of Human Rights Watch (HRW). Under his leadership, the organization grew in size and prestige and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in combating landmines.
Mr. Roth retired last year and received a scholarship to the Harvard Kennedy School. But the proposal was abruptly withdrawn when school officials said the decision was based on HRW’s criticism of Israel.
The exit drew backlash from students, faculty, and the American Civil Liberties Union, who called it “deeply disturbing”. Harvard-Kennedy dean Douglas Elmendorf acknowledged the “mistake” and reinstated the proposal.
Mr Roth says he will accept it. But he remains concerned that the reasons for the original decision have not been explained at a time when scientists are losing their jobs because of their views on the conflict.
“Nevertheless, I would like to receive a statement from Harvard confirming academic freedom even among the less visible critics of Israel,” he says.
Mr. Roth and HRW have often angered Israel and its supporters for reporting human rights violations. The Israeli initiative group NGO Monitor maintains an extensive file of complaints. Israel expelled HRW director Omar Shakir in 2019, saying he supported the boycott movement against him.
Tensions escalated following a 2021 HRW report that concluded that Israel was committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians, according to Amnesty International and Israel’s largest human rights organization, B’Tselem. Roth’s only regret is that the conclusion was not made sooner.
“There are two treaties that define the crime of apartheid,” says the former lawyer. “The United Nations Convention Against Apartheid and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was an objective application of international law.”
“We are guilty of the Israeli government’s classic defense that there may be systematic repressive discrimination in the occupied territories, but that it will disappear in the course of the peace process.
“That defense became useless when it became clear that the peace process was over … so we stopped accepting it and just faced reality.”
Mr. Roth is keen to refute his critics’ claims that Israel is receiving disproportionate attention from HRW. He has also been harassed and sanctioned by regimes from China to Rwanda and sees this as a testament to the group’s work.
“I think it’s a modest victory when governments have no say in the facts we report and resort to envoy silence,” he says.
One encouraging development in a human rights career is that the system has become so popular that “every government should pretend to respect it,” says Roth, except China. “Xi Jinping was breaking contracts,” he says.
He adds: “The widespread adoption of human rights standards gives us advocacy leverage: ‘It gives us considerable power to shame governments when they fail to comply.’
Despite a devastating war in Ukraine, the rise of authoritarian leaders around the world, and ongoing atrocities from Myanmar to Yemen, Roth is more optimistic about human rights progress in his 30 years at HRW.
He notes that this period saw Latin America transition from military dictatorship to democracy, while much of Eastern Europe transitioned from Soviet autocracy to democracy and membership in the European Union.
The scale of human rights violations in Ukraine challenges human rights defenders. Mr. Roth acknowledges that not all violations are recorded, but believes investigations by human rights groups contributed to international sanctions against Russia, support for Ukraine, and eventually even President Vladimir Putin’s accountability.
“I think there is a strong possibility that the ICC will indict Putin and his entourage,” Roth said. “Perhaps he is comfortable in the Kremlin … but at some point a new government will appear that wants to normalize relations with the West. And one of the conditions may be the extradition of accused war criminals.”
But he believes the rules-based international order is also being undermined by the selective support of his most outspoken supporter, the US, in everything from vetoing UN resolutions against Israeli settlements in the West Bank to close ties to Gulf dictatorships.
“Joe Biden has been strong in his opposition to China and Russia’s human rights abuses, but weak in other areas because he is more focused on building coalitions against them than on adhering to human rights principles across the board,” Roth said, pointing out to the infamous fight. Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the Kingdom.
“Biden broke his promise to treat the crown prince like an outcast because of the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, not to mention the bombing of civilians in Yemen,” he added. “This unscrupulous approach to protecting human rights is wrong in itself, but it also weakens Washington’s position towards China and Russia.”
After a distinguished career filled with accolades and awards, Mr. Roth said he is most proud of the fact that his work has helped save lives. He cites the example of Turkey, France and Germany lobbying for Russian airstrikes in Syria’s Idlib until those governments pressured the Kremlin to stop the bombing, even though Russia remains complicit in alleged war crimes elsewhere in Syria.
After 30 years of documenting atrocities and confronting the world’s worst human rights violators, the current ex-head of HRW is happy to step down. He is writing a book with some lessons from his long career.
Barring further controversy, the Harvard Libraries should be the perfect place.
Source: I News
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.