Kenneth Roth

Kenneth Roth is an American attorney, writer, and human rights advocate who served as Executive Director of Human Rights Watch from 1993 to 2022. Under his leadership, the organisation expanded into one of the world’s most influential human‑rights institutions, documenting abuses in more than 100 countries and shaping global policy debates. Roth has written extensively on international law, accountability, and state violence, with work appearing in major global publications. He has been a prominent Jewish critic of Israeli government policies, particularly regarding the occupation, settlement expansion, and the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Roth has publicly described Israeli actions as violations of international humanitarian law and has called for accountability mechanisms including ICC investigations. His dissent has made him one of the most widely cited Jewish human‑rights voices on Israel‑Palestine.