Santiago Canton

Santiago Canton is an Argentine jurist with an extensive career working to advance human rights, the rule of law, and democracy. He is currently the Secretary General of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). Prior to this role, he was a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue and an international visiting scholar at American University, Washington College of Law. From 2016 to 2019, he was the secretary of Human Rights of the province of Buenos Aires. From 2012 to 2015, he was the executive director of RFK Partners for Human Rights at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in Washington, DC. From 2010 to 2015, Canton was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School. From 2001 to 2012, he was the executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. In 1998, he was elected as the first Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression in the Inter-American System. Previously, he was the director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the National Democratic Institute and an advisor to former President Carter during the elections in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic in 1990. In 2005, Canton was awarded the Inter-American Press Association´s Chapultepec Grand Prize for his contributions to the promotion, development, strengthening, and defense of the principles of freedom of expression. His writings and interviews have been featured in multiple news outlets, including CNN, CBS, El Mundo, El País, Miami Herald, Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian, and newspapers throughout Latin America. He holds a law degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a Master’s degree in International Law from the Washington College of Law of American University. (Geneva, Switzerland)