According to WaPo’s Al Kamen, Mike Posner, who for many years has served first as Executive Director and now President of Human Rights First (which used to be known as the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights), will be the next Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

If true, this would be great news.  Here are some excerpts from the bio currently up at HRF (where he’s still listed as President).

Michael Posner, President of Human Rights First, has been at the forefront of the international human rights movement for nearly 30 years. As its Executive Director he helped the organization earn a reputation for leadership in the areas of refugee protection, advancing a rights-based approach to national security, challenging crimes against humanity, and combating discrimination. . . .In January 2006, Michael stepped down as Executive Director to become the President of Human Rights First. In this new position, he will focus more on public outreach, writing, and public advocacy, to advance the organization’s core mission. . . .

In 1980, Michael played a key role in proposing and campaigning for the first U.S. law providing for political asylum, which became part of the Refugee Act of 1980. Human Rights First runs the largest program providing volunteer legal representation to asylum seekers in the U.S., representing more than 1,000 clients from more than 80 countries. . . . Michael proposed, drafted, and campaigned for the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) – a U.S. federal statute that was designed to give victims of the most serious human rights crimes anywhere in the world a remedy in U.S. courts. The TVPA was adopted by Congress and signed into law in 1992. . . .

Michael has also been a prominent voice in support of fair, decent, and humane working conditions in factories throughout the global supply chain. As a member of the White House Apparel Industry Partnership Task Force, he helped found the Fair Labor Association (FLA), an organization that brings together corporations, local leaders, universities, and NGOs to promote corporate accountability for working conditions in the apparel industry. He continues to sit on the FLA’s Board.

In 2004, Human Rights First launched its End Torture Now Campaign, a public education and advocacy effort that challenges the framework of U.S. policy and practice that allows coercive interrogation techniques and unlimited, secret detention of those in U.S. custody in violation of U.S. and international law. As part of the campaign, Human Rights First led the advocacy efforts in support of the McCain Amendment which bans U.S. soldiers and officials from engaging in cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Human Rights First organized a group of retired admirals and generals to speak out publicly on this issue. The McCain Amendment won broad congressional support and was signed into law in December 2005.

Clearly he has the chops for the job.  I’ve known Mike for a number of years, and he’s both a great guy and one of the smartest human rights lawyers out there.  He’s built HRF into a powerhouse that now rivals Amnesty and Human Rights Watch.  Its focus on results rather than criticism has made it particularly effective.  Here, for example, is a video they released recently in response to Dick Cheney’s suggestion that Guantanamo should not be closed:

HRF also was responsible for organizing the flag officers who called on Obama to close Guantanamo — those were the folks standing behind Obama when he signed the order.

So is Kamen’s report true?  I don’t know — I’ve had a number of people email to ask, but none of my sources have yet confirmed it.  As regular readers of my blog know, I had reported that Posner was a finalist.  And there are two developments I’ve heard/noticed that I find interesting.  The first is that the HRF DC staff were called to NY this morning for an all-staff meeting.  The initial word was that it was about layoffs (which is certainly a possibility given the collapse of the JEHT Foundation, one of the largest donors to the human rights community and a victim of the Madoff scandal).  But it also could have been an announcement that Mike is leaving.  Then again, it could have been both.

The second is that a perusal of recent HRF statements on USG policy show that HRF executive director Elisa Massimino, rather than Posner, has been speaking for the organization.  Just yesterday, HRF put out a statement on the new Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, and Posner is not quoted.  Two weeks ago, HRF sent a letter (pdf) to Secretary Clinton on China and Indonesia that was signed by Massimino.  These doesn’t necessarily mean anything — Massimino, after all, is now the day-to-day CEO — but it also is possible that Mike has recused himself from such statements.

So what will this mean for human rights?  There is considerable speculation that Hillary’s recent statement on the U.S.-China human rights dialogue (which, by the way, prevented neither a strongly critical Country Report nor a sharp Chinese response), combined with reports that DRL will be kicked out of main State (not to mention out of the inner sanctum known as the seventh floor), mean that human rights won’t be a priority.

It’s too early to say whether that’s true.  But as I’ve noted before, Hillary’s Kinsley gaffe represents a moment of candor, not a change in policy.  I also would note that Posner’s reported appointment, in conjunction with two other reported appointments — Harold Hongju Koh as Hillary’s Legal Advisor and Eric Schwartz as Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration — means that State will have three prominent human rights advocates rather than just one.  That should strengthen Posner’s hand, and help ensure that human rights remains a priority.

Image:  Human Rights First

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