Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch chief who was barred from Hong Kong, resigning after nearly 3 decades
- Kenneth Roth stepping down from helm of New York-based Human Rights Watch after long career
- Roth, who has visited Hong Kong several times, was barred from entering the city in 2020 by immigration authorities
The long-time leader of Human Rights Watch announced Tuesday he will step down this summer as executive director after nearly three decades at the helm of one of the world’s leading advocacy organisations.
Kenneth Roth ran the New York-based group as it shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its efforts to ban anti-personnel landmines. The group also pushed to establish the International Criminal Court for prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Former ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called Roth an inspiration.
“Ken’s fearless passion for justice, his courage and compassion towards the victims of human rights violations and atrocity crimes was not just professional responsibility but a personal conviction to him,” she said.
Roth became executive director in 1993, when the group had a staff of about 60 and a US$7 million annual budget. It now has over 550 employees in more than 100 countries and a nearly US$100 million budget to campaign against human rights abuses.
“Ken Roth turned Human Rights Watch into a juggernaut for justice,” said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “He has inspired a generation of human rights defenders to fight for a better world.”
The group has been at the forefront of advocacy on some of the world’s most hot-button rights issues.