Ken Roth
@kennethroth.bsky.social
Former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022). Now visiting professor at Princeton’s School of Public & Int'l Affairs. My book “Righting Wrongs” (Knopf/Allen Lane).
"This interview is compelling because he reflects on the moral and psychological toll of spending a lifetime documenting the worst forms of cruelty while explaining why, paradoxically, the work strengthened rather than eroded his faith in humanity." theysaidso.org/kenneth-roth...
CALLING OUT HYPOCRISY - THEY SAID SO
Kenneth Roth, Fmr Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
theysaidso.org
December 14, 2025 at 12:22 AM
"This interview is compelling because he reflects on the moral and psychological toll of spending a lifetime documenting the worst forms of cruelty while explaining why, paradoxically, the work strengthened rather than eroded his faith in humanity." theysaidso.org/kenneth-roth...
Five years on, Beijing is apparently still afraid of me. I sought to fly Cathay Pacific from New York to Australia, transiting thru Hong Kong. Immigration authorities blocked me. Evidently my spending even a few hours in the airport was too scary for them. www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/w...
Hong Kong Denies Entry to Human Rights Watch Director, Group Says (Published 2020)
www.nytimes.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Five years on, Beijing is apparently still afraid of me. I sought to fly Cathay Pacific from New York to Australia, transiting thru Hong Kong. Immigration authorities blocked me. Evidently my spending even a few hours in the airport was too scary for them. www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/w...
Does today's proliferation of human rights problems mean the demise of human rights? No, not given the pushback, as I discuss with Leslie Vinjamuri of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on the new Deep Dish podcast. globalaffairs.org/commentary/p...
Human Rights in Retreat? Kenneth Roth Weighs In
Human Rights Day arrives as norms fade, and pressures such as inequality and disinformation are rising. Kenneth Roth explains what’s really at stake.
globalaffairs.org
December 11, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Does today's proliferation of human rights problems mean the demise of human rights? No, not given the pushback, as I discuss with Leslie Vinjamuri of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on the new Deep Dish podcast. globalaffairs.org/commentary/p...
The two shipwrecked survivors of a Trump-Hegseth attack on a suspected drug-running boat who were then killed in a double-tap strike were murdered. So were the other 85 victims of the 22 attacks. Congress should be scrutinizing them all. I explain in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
All of the suspected drug boat killings are murders | Kenneth Roth
There is no rule of law if the president can deem anyone an enemy combatant and order them summarily shot
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The two shipwrecked survivors of a Trump-Hegseth attack on a suspected drug-running boat who were then killed in a double-tap strike were murdered. So were the other 85 victims of the 22 attacks. Congress should be scrutinizing them all. I explain in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
On Human Rights Day, we reaffirm no exemptions are permitted -- not for Israel committing genocide in Gaza, the United Arab Emirates arming the genocidal Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, Putin committing war crimes in Ukraine, China persecuting Uyghurs in Xinjiang, or Trump. www.un.org/en/observanc...
Human Rights Day | United Nations
Human Rights Day commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
www.un.org
December 10, 2025 at 2:39 PM
On Human Rights Day, we reaffirm no exemptions are permitted -- not for Israel committing genocide in Gaza, the United Arab Emirates arming the genocidal Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, Putin committing war crimes in Ukraine, China persecuting Uyghurs in Xinjiang, or Trump. www.un.org/en/observanc...
Zohran Mamdani is rewriting the political rules around support for Israel. If support for Israel is no longer de rigueur in New York, it may soon not be obligatory in Washington. That is good news for Palestinians. I explain:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Zohran Mamdani is re-writing the political rules around support for Israel | Kenneth Roth
If support for Israel is no longer de rigueur in New York, it may soon not be obligatory in Washington. That is good news for Palestinians
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Zohran Mamdani is rewriting the political rules around support for Israel. If support for Israel is no longer de rigueur in New York, it may soon not be obligatory in Washington. That is good news for Palestinians. I explain:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Ken Roth
Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is a gift to Putin | Kenneth Roth
Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is a gift to Putin | Kenneth Roth
The plan would leave Ukraine’s democracy in jeopardy and its sovereignty compromised
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is a gift to Putin | Kenneth Roth
I'm thrilled that my book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, has made the Economist's list of Best Books in 2025: www.economist.com/culture/2025...
The best books of 2025
Gladiators and dictators, wolves and Beatles feature in our list this year
www.economist.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I'm thrilled that my book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, has made the Economist's list of Best Books in 2025: www.economist.com/culture/2025...
Trump's peace plan for Ukraine is a Kremlin dream, a Ukrainian nightmare. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is a gift to Putin | Kenneth Roth
The plan would leave Ukraine’s democracy in jeopardy and its sovereignty compromised
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Trump's peace plan for Ukraine is a Kremlin dream, a Ukrainian nightmare. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There is no conceivable justification for Trump's saber-rattling toward Venezuela:
1. No U.N. Security Council mandate.
2. No conceivable "self-defense."
3. No mass slaughter to allow humanitarian intervention.
It is plainly illegal, as I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
1. No U.N. Security Council mandate.
2. No conceivable "self-defense."
3. No mass slaughter to allow humanitarian intervention.
It is plainly illegal, as I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump’s saber-rattling in Venezuela is illegal | Kenneth Roth
Trump’s threats against the country and attacks on nearby boats cannot be justified under international law
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:45 PM
There is no conceivable justification for Trump's saber-rattling toward Venezuela:
1. No U.N. Security Council mandate.
2. No conceivable "self-defense."
3. No mass slaughter to allow humanitarian intervention.
It is plainly illegal, as I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
1. No U.N. Security Council mandate.
2. No conceivable "self-defense."
3. No mass slaughter to allow humanitarian intervention.
It is plainly illegal, as I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump deserves credit for ending the genocide, at least for now. But we must maintain pressure on him to complete the job by forcing the Israeli government to accept a Palestinian state, which is the only viable lasting solution to the conflict. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump’s role in halting Gaza’s suffering was driven by self-interest. Will that be enough for him to finish the job? | Kenneth Roth
The US president’s Gulf allies and supporters at home might just persuade him to pursue lasting peace. And then there’s always next year’s Nobel prize, says writer and academic Kenneth Roth
www.theguardian.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Trump deserves credit for ending the genocide, at least for now. But we must maintain pressure on him to complete the job by forcing the Israeli government to accept a Palestinian state, which is the only viable lasting solution to the conflict. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
At a London book festival, I discuss how even today, the public's sense of right and wrong still can be used to restrain governmental misconduct -- a major theme from my book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. iai.tv/video/a-worl...
A world without morality
From the Crusades to the fight against Hitler, from US intervention in Vietnam to the Iraq war, morality has often been used to validate military campaigns and foreign policy goals. Yet Trump's emphas...
iai.tv
October 10, 2025 at 10:51 PM
At a London book festival, I discuss how even today, the public's sense of right and wrong still can be used to restrain governmental misconduct -- a major theme from my book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. iai.tv/video/a-worl...
The Nobel Peace Prize for Venezuela's pro-democracy leader, Maria Corina Machado, reminds us that as autocrats seize power in parts of the world, most of people of the world want democracy -- accountable government that is best placed to serve them. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace...
Nobel Peace Prize 2025
The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 was awarded to Maria Corina Machado "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transi...
www.nobelprize.org
October 10, 2025 at 2:06 PM
The Nobel Peace Prize for Venezuela's pro-democracy leader, Maria Corina Machado, reminds us that as autocrats seize power in parts of the world, most of people of the world want democracy -- accountable government that is best placed to serve them. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace...
As I explain on Fox News, Trump needs to convince Hamas that he will pressure Netanyahu to stop attacking Gaza after the hostages are released even though so far Trump has been arming, funding, and greenlighting the genocide. www.ktvu.com/video/1720246
Two years of war: Israel reflects, Gaza endures
Kenneth Roth, visiting professor at the Princeton School for Public and International Affairs, examines the political, humanitarian and legal ramifications of the war in Gaza.
www.ktvu.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:22 PM
As I explain on Fox News, Trump needs to convince Hamas that he will pressure Netanyahu to stop attacking Gaza after the hostages are released even though so far Trump has been arming, funding, and greenlighting the genocide. www.ktvu.com/video/1720246
At Jifeng Books, forced from Shanghai to Washington, I discussed how to address repression in China, and Beijing's threat to the global rights system, drawing from my book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4KL...
www.youtube.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:58 PM
At Jifeng Books, forced from Shanghai to Washington, I discussed how to address repression in China, and Beijing's threat to the global rights system, drawing from my book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4KL...
Reposted by Ken Roth
Please join me tomorrow at 6pm in DC with @kennethroth.bsky.social to share his experience of being deported from Hong Kong and sanctioned by the Chinese government, and why staying principled is, in fact, the most effective strategy for creating change: www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticket...
October 2, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Please join me tomorrow at 6pm in DC with @kennethroth.bsky.social to share his experience of being deported from Hong Kong and sanctioned by the Chinese government, and why staying principled is, in fact, the most effective strategy for creating change: www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticket...
Trump is flouting the most basic principles of justice by threatening an evidence-free prosecutorial vendetta against George Soros. I explain: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/t...
Trump’s retribution list
Podcast Episode · 7am · 29/09/2025 · 15m
podcasts.apple.com
September 30, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Trump is flouting the most basic principles of justice by threatening an evidence-free prosecutorial vendetta against George Soros. I explain: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/t...
Trump's threat to concoct criminal charges against George Soros, a generous progressive donor who represents the opposite of the violence that Trump pretends he promotes, is the next step in the Autocrat's Handbook that Trump is implementing. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump’s attack on George Soros is the next step in the autocrat’s handbook | Kenneth Roth
Having already attacked judges, lawyers, media companies and universities, the president has set his sights on civilians
www.theguardian.com
September 27, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Trump's threat to concoct criminal charges against George Soros, a generous progressive donor who represents the opposite of the violence that Trump pretends he promotes, is the next step in the Autocrat's Handbook that Trump is implementing. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I am proud to have held a press conference in Manila in 2009 to spotlight the "drug war" death squads of then-Mayor Duterte. www.hrw.org/news/2009/04... Today those summary executions were among the ones the International Criminal Court charged Duterte for. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Philippines: Dismantle ‘Davao Death Squad’
www.hrw.org
September 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I am proud to have held a press conference in Manila in 2009 to spotlight the "drug war" death squads of then-Mayor Duterte. www.hrw.org/news/2009/04... Today those summary executions were among the ones the International Criminal Court charged Duterte for. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
No, Netanyahu, recognition of a Palestinian state is not a "prize for terrorism” but a penalty for your genocide. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Netanyahu calls UK’s Palestine recognition ‘absurd prize for terrorism’
Opposition leader Yair Golan blames government’s political recklessness and refusal to end the war in Gaza
www.theguardian.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:39 PM
No, Netanyahu, recognition of a Palestinian state is not a "prize for terrorism” but a penalty for your genocide. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
The International Court of Justice needs to change its jurisprudence on genocide. It currently treats ethnic cleansing (ridiculously) as a defense rather than, as in the case of Israel in Gaza, a motive. I explain: www.swissinfo.ch/eng/human-ri...
The challenge of proving genocide
The ICJ has to decide on whether Israel’s alleged crimes in Gaza amount to a genocide. Key to the ruling will be proving intent.
www.swissinfo.ch
September 19, 2025 at 12:42 AM
The International Court of Justice needs to change its jurisprudence on genocide. It currently treats ethnic cleansing (ridiculously) as a defense rather than, as in the case of Israel in Gaza, a motive. I explain: www.swissinfo.ch/eng/human-ri...
On Open Talk, I explain why Putin and Netanyahu should take heed from the fate of former Philippines President Duterte. They may hope for impunity by becoming president-for-life, but that is hard. Once a leader loses power, he is vulnerable to prosecution. youtu.be/Km0nCZyqcls?...
KEN ROTH ON HUMAN RIGHTS, THE ICC PROSECUTOR CRISIS, AND WHY DUTERTE'S TRIAL MATTERS
YouTube video by Caloy Conde
youtu.be
September 14, 2025 at 11:22 PM
On Open Talk, I explain why Putin and Netanyahu should take heed from the fate of former Philippines President Duterte. They may hope for impunity by becoming president-for-life, but that is hard. Once a leader loses power, he is vulnerable to prosecution. youtu.be/Km0nCZyqcls?...
The timidity of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and UN rights chief Volker Turk in addressing certain issues -- China's persecution of Uyghurs, Israel's genocide in Gaza -- impedes the ability of the UN Human Rights Council to do its job. I explain: dialogueinitiatives.org/how-states-a...
How States are Undermining the UN’s Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council was born of frustration with the poor human rights record of many members of
dialogueinitiatives.org
September 12, 2025 at 12:46 PM
The timidity of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and UN rights chief Volker Turk in addressing certain issues -- China's persecution of Uyghurs, Israel's genocide in Gaza -- impedes the ability of the UN Human Rights Council to do its job. I explain: dialogueinitiatives.org/how-states-a...
This is a terrible time for the International Criminal Court to be headless. The sexual assault accusation against the chief prosecutor should be resolved one way or the other. There are too many important decisions to be made to wait endlessly. foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/11/i...
The ICC Needs a Chief Prosecutor
Allegations against the court’s head prosecutor have hampered its effectiveness. They should be addressed immediately.
foreignpolicy.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:44 PM
This is a terrible time for the International Criminal Court to be headless. The sexual assault accusation against the chief prosecutor should be resolved one way or the other. There are too many important decisions to be made to wait endlessly. foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/11/i...
If Trump's summary killing of 11 alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers becomes normalized, everyone would be at risk of him declaring "war" against a disfavored group and then shooting, rather than arresting and prosecuting, its members. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump’s killing of 11 alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers sets a dangerous precedent | Kenneth Roth
Unless this dangerous precedent is condemned and curtailed, it will enable US authorities to summarily shoot anyone they choose
www.theguardian.com
September 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
If Trump's summary killing of 11 alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers becomes normalized, everyone would be at risk of him declaring "war" against a disfavored group and then shooting, rather than arresting and prosecuting, its members. I explain: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...