Sarah Leah Whitson

Who is Sarah Leah Whitson?

Sarah Leah Whitson is an American lawyer who is the director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. The division conducts research and advocacy missions as well as investigates and exposes human rights violations in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Whitson has led landmark investigations and overseen the production of countless reports and press releases. In 2013, the Middle East/North Africa division published over 17 reports on human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Yemen, Iran, Libya, and Syria.

In addition to her research, Whitson has published widely on human rights issues in the Middle East, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The Los Angeles Times, and CNN. She appears regularly on Al-Jazeera and NPR.