Aryeh Neier

Born in Berlin in 1937, Aryeh Neier and his family fled Nazi Germany in 1939, first to the UK and then the United States. He went on to lead the American Civil Liberties Union as its national Executive Director (1970-1978), co-found and serve as Executive Director of Human Rights Watch (1979-1992), and run the Open Society Foundations as president (1993 to 2012). Over decades, he has championed universal human rights, defending free speech, promoting accountability, and advancing the rule of law. He is the author of more than 400 articles and seven books, including The International Human Rights Movement: A History and Defending My Enemy.