Ida Sawyer
Ida Sawyer is the director of the Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch, where she oversees a team of about 15 researchers who document war crimes and other serious human rights abuses during armed conflicts and crises around the world, and who advocate for justice and accountability, civilian protection, and humanitarian disarmament. Ida has led work in recent years on Haiti, Israel and Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, the United States, and elsewhere.
Ida began working with Human Rights Watch in 2008 as a researcher in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she was based for nearly nine years, until the former president forced her to leave the country because of her work on political repression. Ida was later the organization’s Central Africa Director and Deputy Africa Director, overseeing the organization’s work across much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Ida has authored numerous Human Rights Watch reports and other documents, testified at the UN Security Council and at US Congressional hearings, presented at the European Parliament, and written for publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Foreign Policy. Ida conducts high-level advocacy with a range of international actors and works closely with national and international human rights groups.
During a sabbatical in 2021, Ida was a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC, focused on pro-democracy efforts in Congo. Ida previously worked as a freelance journalist in Cairo and with CARE International in northern Uganda. She earned her bachelor’s degree and a master’s in international affairs, specializing in human rights, from Columbia University.
Articles Authored
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April 11, 2017
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April 10, 2017
US Conflict Minerals Rule Should Be Refined, Not Revoked
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March 18, 2017
2 Years On, DR Congo Mass Grave Still a Mystery
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March 17, 2017
SADC Should Press to Resolve the DR Congo Crisis
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March 8, 2017
Rwandan Blogger to Stand Trial for Genocide Ideology
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March 3, 2017
DR Congo: EU Should Impose Additional Targeted Sanctions
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March 3, 2017
Rwanda Held Opposition Official’s Wife Incommunicado
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February 15, 2017
Congo’s Amani Festival Should be a Safe Space for Peaceful Expression
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February 13, 2017
Congo Voter Registration Hampered by Insecurity, Logistical Challenges
Reports Authored
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Gaza: Findings on October 17 al-Ahli Hospital Explosion
Evidence Points to Misfired Rocket but Full Investigation Needed
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“Special Mission”
Recruitment of M23 Rebels to Suppress Protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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Soldiers Who Rape, Commanders Who Condone
Sexual Violence and Military Reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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