Bonnie Docherty

Bonnie Docherty is a Lecturer on Law and Senior Clinical Instructor at the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School. She is also a Senior Researcher in the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch. She is an expert on disarmament and international humanitarian law, particularly involving civilian protection during armed conflict. In recent years, she has authored several seminal reports in support of civil society’s campaign to ban fully autonomous weapons, also known as “killer robots.” Since 2001, she has played an active role, as both lawyer and field researcher, in the campaign against cluster munitions. Docherty participated in negotiations for the Convention on Cluster Munitions and has promoted strong implementation of the convention since its adoption in 2008. Her in-depth field investigations of cluster munition use in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Georgia helped galvanize international opposition to the weapons. Docherty has documented the broader effects of armed conflict on civilians in several other countries and also done research and advocacy related to incendiary weapons. Docherty received her A.B. from Harvard University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.