The Human Rights Watch’s credibility and independence have come under scrutiny in the wake of damning revelations implicating the organisation’s top leadership in a corruption scandal. A recent investigation by The Intercept accuses the New York-based organisation of unethical behaviour when it accepted a donation from a Saudi Arabia billionaire it had been investigating over labour abuses. HRW admitted it received a sizable donation after researchers documented labour abuses at one of Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber’ companies, a potential violation of the rights group’s own fundraising guidance. According to The Intercept’s investigation, the 2012 grant from Al Jaber’s U.K.-based charitable foundation amounted to $470,000. “We also regret that the grant was made by the owner of a company that Human Rights Watch had previously identified as complicit in labour rights abuse,” it said in a statement. In 2012 and previous years, Human Rights Watch reported on labour violations at Jadawel International, a Saudi construction company founded and owned by Al Jaber. The new report particularly says Kenneth Roth, HRW’s executive director, was involved in soliciting the controversial donation. Roth and his senior management team were criticised for their decision to accept the gift. “By accepting a pledge excluding its use for work on a group whose rights we strive to protect, the people involved at Human Rights Watch, Inc. made a serious error in judgment,” Amy Rao and Neil Rimer, The Intercept’s board co-chairs said. They added: “Ken Roth, the most senior person at HRW involved with soliciting this pledge, accepts full responsibility for this mistake.” A fundraising policy approved by Human Rights Watch’s board in 2012 said that the organisation will not accept funding from a company that is “itself a focus of Human Rights Watch work,” or when “the solicitation or acceptance of such funds might undermine Human Rights Watch’s credibility, independence, or reputation.” ‘Not surprising’ This is not the first time Human Rights Watch has been linked to such scandals. A few years ago, the organisation was exposed in another revelation in which its senior Middle East leaders attempted to extract money from potential Saudi donors by bragging about the group’s “battles” with the “pro-Israel pressure groups.” Many countries, especially in Africa, have accused the organisation of being a politically motivated and working for the interest of a few western companies, lobbies and countries. Ismael Buchanan, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, told The New Times that the latest revelations didn’t come as a surprise. “Human Rights Watch has always been compromised. Their practice has been questioned for so many years,” he told The New Times on Thursday. “It has been criticised for lack of transparency and its leader (Roth) has been at the heart of many controversies,” he noted. Buchanan highlighted that Human Rights Watch’s credibility had already been at stake and the latest investigation only confirmed what many people already knew. “What they preach is not what they practice,” he observed, adding that the revelations yet again vindicate the position of many African countries on HRW’s motivations. The organisation lacks impartiality and is riddled with corruption and dishonesty, he said.
