Hugh Williamson
Hugh Williamson, director of the Europe & Central Asia division, oversees the organisation’s work in western and eastern Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, Central Asia, the south Caucasus, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. He oversees issues including migration and discrimination in Europe, torture and other abuses under authoritarian rule in Central Asia, and impunity and the rule of law in Russia.
Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Williamson worked for 11 years as a correspondent from the Manila and Berlin bureaus of the Financial Times. He served as the Europe news editor during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and most recently as the paper’s deputy foreign editor. He has written and commented in the international media, including on the BBC and CNN, on European politics, development issues and the international political economy, business ethics and corporate responsibility, and the politics of the human rights movement.
Williamson has worked for other non-governmental organisations, including a labour rights group in Hong Kong. He has degrees from Manchester University and the London School of Economics. He speaks German.
Articles Authored
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May 29, 2020
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April 3, 2020
The Coronavirus in Europe: From Lockdowns to Power Grabs
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March 26, 2020
How Can Germans ‘Stay at Home’ If They Are Homeless?
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December 20, 2019
Uzbekistan Must Now Live Up to “Country of the Year” Honor
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December 17, 2019
EU Should Live up to its Rhetoric on Central Asia
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December 3, 2019
In Kazakhstan, Words but Little Action on Domestic Violence
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November 4, 2019
Germans Reflect on 30 Years Since Fall of Berlin Wall
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August 21, 2019
Silencing of Activist Shows Kazakhstan’s Contempt for Rights