Harvard rescinds fellowship offer to leading rights activist

By MICHAEL CASEY
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University has rescinded a fellowship it had offered to a leading human rights activist over what he says was his group’s criticism of Israel. Kenneth Roth, who headed Human Rights Watch until recently, was recruited last year by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy to become a fellow. He accepted. But a few weeks later, in July, Roth said the center called and told him that the school’s dean had vetoed the fellowship. Roth believes it was due to his and his group’s criticism of Israel. Over the years, the group has issued a number of reports saying that Israel appears to have committed war crimes against the Palestinians.