Sarah Leah Whitson

Sarah Leah Whitson is the Executive Director of DAWN, Democracy for the Arab World Now. Previously, she was executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division from 2004 – 2020. She has led dozens of advocacy and investigative missions throughout the region, focusing on issues of armed conflict, accountability, legal reform, migrant workers, and human rights. She has published widely on human rights and foreign policy in the Middle East in international and regional media, including The New York TimesForeign Affairs, The Washington Post, and Foreign Policy.