Kornel Klopfstein-Laszlo

Kornel Klopfstein-Laszlo is a Strategist on Human Rights Watch’s Foundations team, overseeing a portfolio that includes technology and human rights, digital investigations, and children's rights. He joined the organization in early 2025 after holding a senior officer role at Open Society Foundations.

Kornel began his career as a journalist covering Latin America and the Middle East before moving into policy research at Human Rights First, GLOBSEC, and the Budapest Institute. He has provided commentary on Hungary's democratic backsliding to outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Politico. He holds a master's degree in Comparative Politics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and completed a data analytics program at the London School of Economics. He is fluent in Spanish, English and Hungarian.