Dr Anna Neistat

Dr. Anna Neistat leads Amnesty International’s global research by setting the research agenda and ensuring consistently high standards for research strategy, methodology and quality. She provides political and human rights analysis and expert advice on human rights to the International Secretariat and the movement as a whole, and represents Amnesty International in major internal and external fora. She is a member of the organization’s Senior Leadership Team which is responsible for the leadership, management and development of the organization. Before joining Amnesty International, Neistat worked for more than a decade as associate director for Program and Emergencies at Human Rights Watch. She led fact-finding missions in conflict areas and was responsible for developing investigative methodology and training. Neistat has conducted over 60 investigations in conflict areas around the world, including Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Kenya, Yemen, Chechnya, Sri Lanka and Haiti. She has authored or co-authored over 40 Human Rights Watch reports as well as numerous articles and opinion pieces.Before joining Human Rights Watch, Neistat worked for “Echo of Moscow,” Russia’s leading radio station, the Open Society Institute, and as a constitutional law researcher at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies. Neistat holds an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School, a J.D. and Ph.D. in law, and an M.S. in history and philology. She is a member of the New York State Bar, and teaches at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po.