Kenneth Roth: Tyrants Trust Sycophants, I Challenge Them with the Truth

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch,
has spent over three decades at the forefront of the global human
rights movement, challenging abusive governments and fighting for
justice. In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O'Brien sits
down with Kenneth to discuss his extraordinary career, from his
early years learning his father’s refugee story, to his pivotal
role in shaping international human rights advocacy.


Kenneth reflects on the strategies he employed to push oppressive
regimes into compliance, from leveraging international pressure
to navigating the complex geopolitics of the world’s most
powerful autocrats. He offers a candid look at the personal and
professional challenges he faced while battling dictators like
Putin, Xi Jinping, and Assad, and the lessons he’s learned along
the way.


Insightful and unflinching, Kenneth shares stories of victories
and setbacks, the evolution of the human rights movement, and how
he remains motivated by the belief that positive change, however
incremental, is always possible. This episode explores the
sacrifices, triumphs, and complexities of a career dedicated to
exposing injustice and holding the powerful accountable.


Righting Wrongs: Three Descased on the Front Lines Battling
Abusive Governments, by Kenneth Roth. Available to order now.