Benjamin Ward, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division, supervises research on the EU region, the Western Balkans and Turkey. Since 2004, he has been closely involved in the organization’s work in Europe on counter-terrorism measures and on asylum and migration policy. Before becoming deputy director, Ward researched Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo for the division. He has written extensively on Kosovo and the use of diplomatic assurances against torture. Before joining Human Rights Watch, Ward worked for the United Nations in Somalia and New York, and in Bosnia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was admitted to practice as a barrister in England & Wales in 2003, and holds a Bachelor's in government from the London School of Economics and an Master's in international affairs from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.