Arthur C. Helton

Arthur C. Helton, 1949-2003

"Arthur HeltonArthur C. Helton, the director of peace and conflict studies and senior fellow for refugee studies and preventive action at the Council on Foreign Relations, died in the August 19 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, U.S. officials confirmed. He was 54.

"A lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Helton dedicated his professional life to working with refugees and recommending ways to ease their plight. In 1994, he founded and then directed the Forced Migration Projects at the Open Society Institute. For 12 years prior to that, he directed the Refugee Project at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. He joined the Council staff in 1999.

"Mr. Helton was in Baghdad to assess humanitarian conditions in Iraq. When the bomb exploded at approximately 4:30 p.m. Baghdad time, he is believed to have been in a meeting with U.N. Special Representative for Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was also killed...

"He graduated from Columbia College in New York City in 1971 and from New York University Law School in 1976. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline D. Gilbert, his mother, Marjorie Helton of Florida, and a sister, Pamela H. Krause of Virginia."


 * Human Rights Watch Africa Advisory Committee (2002)

Related Sourcewatch

 * Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award