Former Human Rights Watch Director Says Harvard Kennedy School Dean Blocked Fellowship Due to Israel Criticism | News

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Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, has accused Harvard Kennedy School dean Douglas W. Elmendorf of preventing him from getting a one-year scholarship to the school because of criticism of Roth on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

Roth alleged in a Friday interview with The Crimson that he was denied the job because of HRW’s work on Israel, a potential contradiction to the Kennedy Schools’ diversity statement embracing open debate and diversity of opinion. policies.

Elmendorf’s role in blocking the Roths scholarship was first reported in The Nation on Thursday.

Roth said he had accepted a fellowship at the Kennedy Schools Carr Center for Human Rights Policy in June for the 2022-2023 academic year, but the center called him back several weeks later, embarrassed to say that Elmendorf had opposed his stock market veto.

Roth said he learned why his scholarship was denied by Kathryn A. Sikkink, professor of human rights policy at HKS, who spoke with Elmendorf. It’s because I criticized Israel, Roth said. Sikkink confirmed the account to The Crimson.

HKS spokesperson James F. Smith did not deny Roth’s specific allegations and declined to provide details about his scholarship application.

We have internal procedures in place to review applications for fellowships and other appointments, and we do not discuss our deliberations on who may be considered, Smith wrote in an emailed statement.

Dean Elmendorf decided not to make this scholarship nomination because he sometimes decides not to make other proposed academic nominations, based on an assessment of the candidates’ potential contributions to the Kennedy School, Smith wrote.

Roth, 67, retired from his post as executive director of HRW at the end of August, after serving in the role for nearly three decades. Roth said the Carr Center contacted him after he announced his retirement in April to ask if he was interested in becoming a fellow.

Roth, who was in the process of writing a book, said he confirmed his interest in a fellowship two months later.

It’s a natural place to go for leading human rights advocates if they’re looking to write a book, take a sabbatical or do something that requires more of an academic background, Roth said. I thought it would be helpful to use the Kennedy School as a base for doing this, and to use the colleagues there as a chance to test ideas and rephrase chapters.

Roth said there was no indication his past criticism of Israel might be a problem until a call in July with Elmendorf who cryptically asked him if he had any enemies.

I realized what he meant. I’m not naive here, so I mentioned that the Israeli government doesn’t like me either, out of that long list of governments I’ve been through, Roth said. But that’s really what he wanted to know.

Sikkink, who is affiliated with the Carr Center, told The Nation that Elmendorf informed her that HRW had an anti-Israel bias, which led to her decision not to approve the Roths scholarship.

Sikkink wrote in an emailed statement to The Crimson that she disagreed with the Roths scholarship rejection.

I very much regret this decision, wrote Sikkink. Not because I think Ken Roth (or anyone else) is somehow entitled to a scholarship at HKS, but because I think the reasons given by HKS for denying the scholarship go against of all my knowledge about human rights information, data and bias, something that I have contributed to a significant amount of research throughout my career.

Sikkink wrote that she compared annual reports on Israeli human rights practices from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the US State Department, finding no basis for claims that HRW’s reports on Israel were unjust.

I have seen no credible evidence that HRW or Ken Roth are biased against Israel, Sikkink wrote. I consider this misinformation, and for people who know better, real misinformation.

Jos Miguel Vivanco, the former executive director of HRW’s Americas division, wrote in a statement to The Crimson that Roth is one of the world’s most knowledgeable, experienced and respected authorities on human rights. the man.

It is quite remarkable and sad that Harvard is passing up the opportunity to engage and learn from its students and scholars, Vivanco wrote. In my view, this shows extremely poor judgment.

Roth said Elmendorf’s decision to reject his scholarship will have a chilling effect on young scholars.

It’s not about me. It doesn’t jeopardize my career, Roth said. The real danger here is the signal sent to people starting their academic careers, and the message is this: if you touch Israel, if you criticize Israel, you may not get very far in a world where freedom academic has conditions for him.

Several advocacy groups denounced Elmendorf’s decision.

If Harvard’s decision was based on HRW’s advocacy under Kens’ leadership, it’s deeply troubling from both a human rights and academic freedom perspective, said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, in a statement Friday.

Scholars and fellows should be judged on their merits, not on whether they appeal to powerful political interests, Romero added. We urge Harvard to reverse its decision.

PEN America, a free speech advocacy group, wrote in a press release that denying Roth participation in a human rights program because of his own fierce criticism of human rights abuses. rights by governments around the world raises serious questions about the credibility of the Harvard program itself.

Harvard College’s Palestinian Solidarity Committee, which has organized protests against a former Israeli military official who served as an HKS member last spring, released a statement on Friday saying it was disappointed but not surprised that Elmendorf and the Kennedy School rejected Roth because of his advocacy. for Palestine.

The committee added that criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is the bare minimum we expect from any institution that seeks to uphold human rights around the world.

HKS has invited Palestinian and Israeli officials to serve scholarships at the school in the past.

Saeb Erekat, the longtime chief negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization, started a year-long fellowship at the school in fall 2020, before dying of Covid-19 during his tenure at HKS . Amos Yadlin, a retired general in the Israel Defense Forces, was a senior fellow at the Kennedy Schools Belfer Center last year.

Roth suggested that Elmendorf rejected his scholarship fearing it would anger Kennedy School donors.

Harvard is the wealthiest academic institution in the world, Roth said. If anyone was in a position to not let donors dictate or not let donors censor academic research topics, it would be Harvard.

It’s a terrible statement about academic freedom at the Kennedy School, he added.

Writer Miles J. Herszenhorn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MHerszenhorn.

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