Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies (CHRHS)
Photo of Kenneth Roth

Kenneth Roth

Kenneth Roth

Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch

Kenneth Roth is the executive director of Human Rights Watch, one of the world's leading international human rights organizations, which operates in more than 90 countries. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch in 1987, Roth served as a federal prosecutor in New York and for the Iran-Contra investigation in Washington, DC. A graduate of Yale Law School and Brown University, Roth has conducted numerous human rights investigations and missions around the world. He has written extensively on a wide range of human rights abuses, devoting special attention to issues of international justice, counterterrorism, the foreign policies of the major powers, and the work of the United Nations.