DAWN Appoints Omar Shakir as Executive Director

Acclaimed Human Rights Advocate to Lead Khashoggi's Legacy Organization

(Washington D.C., February 25, 2026) — Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) announced today the appointment of Omar Shakir as its new Executive Director, succeeding Sarah Leah Whitson, who has led the organization since 2020.

Shakir brings nearly two decades of experience in human rights advocacy, investigation, and leadership across the Middle East and the United States. He joins DAWN at a critical moment for human rights in the region and beyond, as repression, socioeconomic inequality, and impunity continue to deepen.

Most recently, Shakir served for nearly a decade as Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), where he led rigorous research, strategic advocacy, and global engagement. He authored landmark investigations, including HRW's paradigm-shifting report concluding that Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians, and led the organization's documentation of grave violations of international humanitarian law and grave crimes since October 2023.

"Omar Shakir brings a rare combination of principled leadership, strategic vision, and deep regional expertise," said Nihad Awad, Chair of DAWN's Board of Directors. "His track record of advancing accountability, supporting human rights movements, and challenging impunity aligns squarely with DAWN's mission. We are confident he will guide the organization with clarity and courage at this pivotal moment."

DAWN was founded by Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The organization advances his legacy by pursuing his vision of democracy, human rights, and justice in the Middle East and North Africa.

Shakir succeeds Whitson, who launched the organization in the wake of Khashoggi's murder. Under her leadership, DAWN developed innovative litigation and advocacy strategies targeting U.S. foreign policy and corporate complicity, and established work on arms sales, sanctions, foreign influence, and transnational repression, as well as championing accountability for Khashoggi's murder. DAWN is today recognized as a leading advocacy group on Middle East policy.

"We are grateful for Whitson's vision and leadership over these past six years, publicly launching an organization that has become a preeminent voice demanding reform of U.S. policy in the Middle East and holding abusive officials accountable," said Sahar Aziz, a DAWN Board member.

"Omar is an exceptional human rights leader whose integrity, rigor, and courage are matched by his strategic insight," Whitson said. "I am confident he will strengthen DAWN's role as a force for accountability and justice."

Shakir also previously worked with the Center for Constitutional Rights, representing detainees held at Guantánamo Bay and challenging restrictions on freedom of expression in the United States. Earlier in his career, Shakir conducted investigations in Egypt, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, and Turkey for HRW, including writing the most authoritative report to date on the Rab'aa Massacre in Egypt. In 2019, Israeli authorities deported him for his human rights advocacy, drawing widespread international condemnation and underscoring the risks faced by human rights defenders. Shakir has also been forced out of, or denied entry to, Egypt, Bahrain, and Syria because of his work.

Shakir's appointment was finalized in February 2026, after the Board interviewed him and other candidates in late January. He will take up his duties on Monday, March 2.

"I am honored to join DAWN and build on the legacy of Jamal Khashoggi and the pioneering work of Whitson and the brilliant DAWN team," Shakir said. "Amid Israel's genocide in Gaza and Trump's upending of the rules-based order, DAWN's unflinching efforts to push the envelope in the fight for accountability and in bolstering human rights movements across the Arab world are more essential than ever."