Kenneth Roth — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Currently a Visiting Professor at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs since 2023.
Served as Executive Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) from 1993 to 2022, during which HRW's staff increased from 60 to 552.
Human Rights Watch shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its work on banning anti-personnel mines.
Helped to establish the International Criminal Court and ban children in the military.
Graduated from Brown University with a BA in history in 1977 and received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1980.
Serves on the Watson Institute Board of Overseers at Brown University, the Board of Governors of Bard College Berlin, and the Humanitarian and Development Advisory Panel of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Biography

Kenneth Roth is an American attorney, human rights activist, and writer. He currently serves as a Visiting Professor at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, a position he has held since 2023. Prior to his academic role, Roth was the executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) from 1993 to 2022, leading the organization for nearly three decades.

Roth joined Human Rights Watch in 1987 as deputy director, with his initial work focusing on Haiti, Cuba, and the Middle East.