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Sara Darehshori

Sara Darehshori

Former Senior Counsel, US Program, January 2013 - January 2019

Sara Darehshori served as senior counsel in the US program from January 2013 to January 2019, where she researched and advocated on issues relating to the handling of sexual assault cases in the United States. Her work in Washington, DC, where she documented DC police’s failure to properly investigate scores of sexual assault cases, helped lead to the Sexual Assault Victims Rights Amendment Act of 2014, landmark legislation improving police response to sexual assault in the District of Columbia. More recently, she authored reports on retaliation against those who report sexual assault in the military, which has helped increase protections for service members who have been sexually assaulted.

Prior to joining the US program, Darehshori was senior counsel in Human Rights Watch's International Justice program, where she worked on international justice issues relating to Darfur, Serbia, and the International Criminal Court. During her time at Human Rights Watch, Darehshori has written reports, news releases, and briefing papers on topics including Sudan's special courts for Darfur, Serbia's War Crimes Chamber, the Slobodan Milosevic trial, the Iraqi High Tribunal, and the long-term relationship between peace and justice. Before joining Human Rights Watch, Darehshori worked as a prosecutor in the first trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and as a corporate litigator in New York. Darehshori has also worked in South Africa and for the International Rescue Committee in Croatia, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. She is a graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law School.

Articles Authored

  • January 11, 2019 Dispatches

    Why Doesn’t Trump Talk about This Man?

  • November 14, 2018 Dispatches

    US Cracks Down on Visas for Immigrant Heroes

  • November 5, 2018 Dispatches

    A Patchwork Quilt of Voting Laws

  • October 4, 2016 Blog

    Listening to Victims of Military Sexual Assault

  • June 3, 2016 Dispatches

    Dispatches: US Navy to Protect Soldiers With Mental Health Conditions

  • May 2, 2016 Dispatches

    Dispatches: Victim Protection Key to Ending US Military Sexual Assaults

  • April 28, 2016 Dispatches

    Dispatches: A Glimmer of Hope for US Military Rape Victims

  • May 8, 2014 Commentary

    Getting Serious About Ending Campus Rape

    Published in Huffington Post
  • January 25, 2013 Commentary

    Making sure the D.C. police take sex assault seriously

    Published in The Washington Post
  • April 26, 2012 Commentary

    A victory for The Hague

    Published in Salon.com

Pages

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Reports Authored

  • Loading Photo
    May 19, 2016

    Booted

    Lack of Recourse for Wrongfully Discharged US Military Rape Survivors

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    May 18, 2015

    Embattled

    Retaliation against Sexual Assault Survivors in the US Military

  • Loading Photo
    January 24, 2013

    Capitol Offense

    Police Mishandling of Sexual Assault Cases in the District of Columbia

  • Loading Photo
    July 7, 2009

    Selling Justice Short

    Why Accountability Matters for Peace

  • Loading Photo
    December 13, 2006

    Weighing the Evidence

    Lessons from the Slobodan Milosevic Trial

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