Morton Sklar
(1940-2026)

Morton Sklar served as Founding Executive Director of Human Rights USA (originally the World Organization Against Torture USA) from 1995 to 2010. He successfully developed and litigated several ground‑breaking human rights cases, including the Ahmed Abu Ali case, the only successful legal challenge to the United States government’s policy of rendition to torture; the Shi Tao v. Yahoo! case, which ended the practice of Yahoo! providing internet user identification information to the government of China; and the only human rights case against a sitting head of state, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, that was able to overcome the “head of state immunity” defense.

Morton was appointed to two terms, covering nine years, as a judge on an international court, the Administrative Labor Tribunal of the Organization of American States. He also served on the United Nations International Labour Organization Commission of Inquiry for Burma (Myanmar) in 1997.

In parallel with his country‑specific work, Morton litigated a wide range of international human rights and refugee protection cases. These included cases that prevented women from being deported to countries where they faced sexual violence and female genital mutilation, as well as other cases that expanded protections for vulnerable populations under U.S. and international law.

Within the context of his broader international human rights work, Morton Sklar maintained long‑term legal and advocacy engagement with the Khmer community, bringing his litigation experience and international credibility directly into Cambodia‑focused accountability and pressure‑based advocacy efforts.

He was a co‑founder and legal counsel of the Commission of Inquiry for Cambodia, where he authored the Commission’s founding language and helped shape its structure as a response to sustained international inaction on grave human rights violations. Under his legal guidance, the Commission contributed to placing Cambodia’s human rights record more squarely on international agendas and reinforced pressure‑based advocacy approaches grounded in documentation, coordination, and sustained engagement with governments and international institutions.

For a fuller account of Morton Sklar’s professional record and work with the Khmer community, click below: