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==Life==
==Life==
Des Forges was born Alison B. Liebhafsky on August 20, 1942 to Sybil Small and Herman A. Liebhafsky. She married Roger Des Forges, a [[historian]] at the [[State University of New York at Buffalo]] who specialized in [[China]], in 1964. Des Forges earned her B.A. in [[history]] from [[Radcliffe College]] in 1964, and her M.A. and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from [[Yale University]] in 1966 and 1972. Her master's thesis and doctoral [[dissertation]] both addressed the impact of [[European colonialism]] on Rwanda.<ref name=hrwbio/><ref name=nytimes>Chan, Sewell (2009-02-13). [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/nyregion/14desforges.html "Alison Des Forges, Human Rights Advocate, Is Dead at 66"]. ''New York Times''. Retrieved 2009-02-13.</ref><ref name=usatoday/>
Des Forges was born Alison B. Liebhafsky on August 20, 1942 to Sybil Small and Herman A. Liebhafsky. She married Roger Des Forges, a [[historian]] at the [[State University of New York at Buffalo]] who specialized in [[China]], in 1964. Des Forges earned her B.A. in [[history]] from [[Radcliffe College]] in 1964, and her M.A. and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from [[Yale University]] in 1966 and 1972. Her master's thesis and doctoral [[dissertation]] both addressed the impact of [[European colonialism]] on Rwanda.<ref name=hrwbio/><ref name=nytimes>Chan, Sewell (2009-02-13). [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/nyregion/14desforges.html "Alison Des Forges, Human Rights Advocate, Is Dead at 66"]. ''New York Times''. Retrieved 2009-02-13.</ref><ref name=usatoday/>

In April 1993, she was one of the first outsiders to claim that a full-blown genocide was under way in Rwanda.
<ref name = economist_obituary> Obituary. ''The Economist'' February 21-27 2009. British print edition, p88. </ref>


Des Forges left academia in 1994 in response to the Rwandan Genocide to work full time on human rights.<ref name=ushmm>[http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis/bios.php?content=forges_alison "Alison des Forges"]. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2009-02-13.</ref> She testified 11 times before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and gave evidence about the Rwandan Genocide to panels of the [[French National Assembly]], the [[Belgian Senate]], the [[US Congress]], the [[Organisation of African Unity]], and the [[United Nations]].<ref name=hrwbio>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrw.org/en/bios/alison-des-forges |title=Alison Des Forges |work=hrw.org |publisher=Human Rights Watch |accessdate=February 13, 2009 }}</ref> She was also an authority on human rights violations in the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] and in [[Burundi]].<ref name=reuters>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE51C6ZH20090213 |title=Key human rights advocate dies in U.S. plane crash |author=Bigg, Matthew |work=Reuters.com |publisher=Thomson Reuters |date=February 13, 2009 |accessdate=February 14, 2009}}</ref> She wrote the 1999 ''Leave None to Tell the Story'', in which she argued that the genocide was organized by the Rwandan government that took power in 1994, rather than being a spontaneous outbreak of tribal conflicts.<ref name=reuters/> She specialized in the [[African Great Lakes]] region and studied the [[Rwandan Genocide]]. Des Forges was named a [[MacArthur Fellow]] in 1999, and became the senior advisor at [[Human Rights Watch]] for the African continent.
Des Forges left academia in 1994 in response to the Rwandan Genocide to work full time on human rights.<ref name=ushmm>[http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis/bios.php?content=forges_alison "Alison des Forges"]. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2009-02-13.</ref> She testified 11 times before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and gave evidence about the Rwandan Genocide to panels of the [[French National Assembly]], the [[Belgian Senate]], the [[US Congress]], the [[Organisation of African Unity]], and the [[United Nations]].<ref name=hrwbio>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrw.org/en/bios/alison-des-forges |title=Alison Des Forges |work=hrw.org |publisher=Human Rights Watch |accessdate=February 13, 2009 }}</ref> She was also an authority on human rights violations in the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] and in [[Burundi]].<ref name=reuters>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE51C6ZH20090213 |title=Key human rights advocate dies in U.S. plane crash |author=Bigg, Matthew |work=Reuters.com |publisher=Thomson Reuters |date=February 13, 2009 |accessdate=February 14, 2009}}</ref> She wrote the 1999 ''Leave None to Tell the Story'', in which she argued that the genocide was organized by the Rwandan government that took power in 1994, rather than being a spontaneous outbreak of tribal conflicts.<ref name=reuters/> She specialized in the [[African Great Lakes]] region and studied the [[Rwandan Genocide]]. Des Forges was named a [[MacArthur Fellow]] in 1999, and became the senior advisor at [[Human Rights Watch]] for the African continent.

Revision as of 14:06, 21 February 2009

Alison Des Forges
File:AlisonDesForges.jpg
Born
Alison B. Liebhafsky

(1942-08-20)August 20, 1942
Schenectady, New York, United States[1]
DiedFebruary 12, 2009(2009-02-12) (aged 66)[1]
Clarence Center, New York, United States
Cause of deathAviation accident
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.A., M.A., Ph.D. (history)[1]
Alma materRadcliffe/Harvard
Yale[1]
Known forHuman rights activism
SpouseRoger V. Des Forges (1964)[2]
Children2[1]

Alison Des Forges (née Liebhafsky) (August 20, 1942 – February 12, 2009) was an American historian and human rights activist who specialized in the African Great Lakes region, particularly the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. At the time of her death, she was a senior advisor for the African continent at Human Rights Watch.

Life

Des Forges was born Alison B. Liebhafsky on August 20, 1942 to Sybil Small and Herman A. Liebhafsky. She married Roger Des Forges, a historian at the State University of New York at Buffalo who specialized in China, in 1964. Des Forges earned her B.A. in history from Radcliffe College in 1964, and her M.A. and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from Yale University in 1966 and 1972. Her master's thesis and doctoral dissertation both addressed the impact of European colonialism on Rwanda.[3][1][2]

In April 1993, she was one of the first outsiders to claim that a full-blown genocide was under way in Rwanda. [4]

Des Forges left academia in 1994 in response to the Rwandan Genocide to work full time on human rights.[5] She testified 11 times before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and gave evidence about the Rwandan Genocide to panels of the French National Assembly, the Belgian Senate, the US Congress, the Organisation of African Unity, and the United Nations.[3] She was also an authority on human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Burundi.[6] She wrote the 1999 Leave None to Tell the Story, in which she argued that the genocide was organized by the Rwandan government that took power in 1994, rather than being a spontaneous outbreak of tribal conflicts.[6] She specialized in the African Great Lakes region and studied the Rwandan Genocide. Des Forges was named a MacArthur Fellow in 1999, and became the senior advisor at Human Rights Watch for the African continent.

She died on February 12, 2009, when her flight, Colgan Air Flight 3407,en route from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, crashed in Clarence Center, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. All 45 passengers along with the four crew died, along with one person on the ground.[1]

Bibliography

  • Defeat is the Only Bad News: Rwanda under Musiinga, 1896-1931 - Ph.D thesis at Yale University - 1972 -
  • Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda - Human Rights Watch et FIDH - 1999 - ISBN 1-56432-171-1
  • Roth, Kenneth; DesForges, Alison (Summer 2002). "Justice or Therapy?". Boston Review.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Chan, Sewell (2009-02-13). "Alison Des Forges, Human Rights Advocate, Is Dead at 66". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  2. ^ a b "9/11 widow, MacArthur Fellow, jazz musicians among victims" (2009-02-13). USA Today. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  3. ^ a b "Alison Des Forges". hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
  4. ^ Obituary. The Economist February 21-27 2009. British print edition, p88.
  5. ^ "Alison des Forges". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  6. ^ a b Bigg, Matthew (February 13, 2009). "Key human rights advocate dies in U.S. plane crash". Reuters.com. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved February 14, 2009.

External links

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