In Memory of Arthur Helton

Today we remember Arthur C. Helton – a dedicated advocate for refugees and displaced people – who died in the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003.

A lawyer and human rights advocate, Mr. Helton worked at Human Rights First, then the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, from 1982 to 1994, where he led the Refugee Protection Program and created the asylum pro bono representation project – an initiative that has grown over the years and now provides representation to over 1,000 asylum seekers each year.

In 1994, Mr. Helton went on to establish the Forced Migration Project at the Open Society Institute, and then joined the Council of Foreign Relations as the Director of Peace and Conflict Studies and the Senior Fellow for Refugee Studies and Preventive Action in 1999.

Mr. Helton devoted his life to protecting the rights of those displaced in times of conflict and was widely respected as an expert on refugee and migration issues. He was at the forefront of legislative battles and was a crucial voice in shaping U.S. national policy on refugees and asylum seekers. He wrote extensively on the U.S. and the international community’s response to refugee crises and was a leading advisor to the United Nations on refugee issues, pushing for strong refugee protection policies. Mr. Helton was known especially for the work he did on the Indo-Chinese refugee crisis in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and on the refugee movements following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Human Rights First continues to turn to Mr. Helton’s memory as a model of commitment to the development of sound and moral policy regarding refugees, in the U.S. and across the globe. One year ago, we launched an advocacy project specifically devoted to the Iraqi refugee crisis – the greatest displacement in the Middle East since 1948. We think of Mr. Helton’s work daily as we carry out our own in our New York and DC offices.

Though I never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Helton, I have been lucky enough to be able to honor his legacy as the Arthur C. Helton Fellow working in Human Rights First’s Refugee Protection and Lifeline for Iraqi Refugees programs. My work has led me to interact with many who knew him personally – as a colleague, an academic advisor, a friend, and a mentor – and they have all left me with the same impression: Mr. Helton was not only a man who worked to change the lives of millions, but one who inspired those he met – and some, like myself, who never had the chance to meet him – to carry on his tradition of commitment to the protection of the rights of the displaced.

Jessica Chicco
Arthur C. Helton Fellow
Refugee Protection Program
Human Rights First