Human rights activist and author of The Debasement of Human Rights will write, speak, and mentor young human rights leaders.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Common Sense Society (CSS) is pleased to announce Dr. Aaron Rhodes as senior fellow. Rhodes was executive director of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights for 14 years, and subsequently co-founded the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran and the Freedom Rights Project, a think tank. He is president of the Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe. He has been active in numerous civil society campaigns in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the United Nations, and has conducted human rights investigations in many Middle Eastern and Asian countries as well as throughout the former Soviet Union. He is the author of The Debasement of Human Rights: How Politics Sabotage the Ideal of Freedom (Encounter, 2018). His articles have been published inter alia in The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune, Newsweek, The Hill, Providence Magazine, and Real Clear Markets, and in peer-reviewed academic journals.
“Today, while basic liberties are in retreat around the globe, international human rights institutions are becoming increasingly dysfunctional,” Rhodes said. “Common Sense Society can, and will, make important and needed contributions to reversing this decline through research, education, and rational dialogue, and I am grateful for the opportunity to take part.”
In addition to his research and writing, Dr. Rhodes will serve as faculty at the 2021 Europa Fellowship in Fehérvárcsurgó, Hungary, as well as CSS’s 2021 Britannia Fellowship in the Cotswolds of England.
“There is no one better able to help us understand the nature, history, and future of human rights than Dr. Rhodes,” said CSS president and C.E.O. Marion Smith. “His experience in, and knowledge of, the international human rights field will help us fulfill our mission to advance liberty, prosperity, and a culture that fosters happiness, especially in understanding the nature of collectivist and totalitarian countries.”
You can learn more about Dr. Rhodes and CSS leadership here.
Common Sense Society (CSS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes liberty, prosperity, and beauty through education and public discourse. The educational fellowships, curriculum resources, publications, cultural programs, community initiatives, and national campaigns of CSS illuminate the enduring ideas that have transformed the course of human history for the better. CSS does not accept funding from governments or political parties.
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For more information or to schedule an interview with Dr. Rhodes, contact Emily Soper at emily@commonsensesociety.org.