Bouckaert brings decades of experience in human rights in armed conflicts
(BANGKOK, September 20, 2024)—Prominent international human rights defender Peter Bouckaert is now a Senior Director at Fortify Rights, the organization announced today. Peter joins the organization’s growing and award-winning team of nearly 30 human rights defenders from Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Ukraine, and beyond.
“Peter brings an exciting wealth of experience, knowledge, and skills to Fortify Rights, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome him to the team,” said Matthew Smith, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Fortify Rights. “Peter’s passion and skills to bolster community-based responses and fortify the human rights movement match the core of Fortify Rights.”
From 2007-2017, Peter was the Emergencies Director at Human Rights Watch—a division he helped create. He has worked in conflict zones around the world, including in Myanmar, Chechnya, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and the Central African Republic. His work was also the subject of the 2014 Netflix documentary E-Team. Peter holds a J.D. in human rights from Stanford Law School and a B.A. in Black Studies and Law & Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“After more than a quarter century on the frontlines of the international human rights movement, the most important lesson I learned is that we can’t build a sustainable human rights movement without ensuring that community-based defenders are able to take the lead role,” said Peter Bouckaert, Senior Director at Fortify Rights. “Human rights movements around the world are about defending the rights of all people, and our work at Fortify Rights is all about ensuring that frontline human rights defenders are empowered to lead those struggles.”
Peter is the first Senior Director at Fortify Rights. He will work across the team to investigate human rights violations, engage governments and others on solutions, and strengthen community-based responses to violations. He will also contribute to the organization’s internal ethos of shared leadership, radical transparency, and mindful community.
Fortify Rights currently operates in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Ukraine, and the organization plans to expand. Most of the team comes from these countries.