In September 2009, Human Rights Watch suspended Marc Garlasco - its senior military analyst who had led Human Rights Watch's investigations into Israeli wars in Lebanon and Gaza - following controversy surrounding his collection of Nazi wartime medals and memorabilia. The suspension was made with full pay pending what the organization said was an inquiry into what the organization stressed was not a disciplinary move.
Just days prior, HRW had dismissed all discussion of Garlasco's collection as absurd and "an affront to serious military historians" - and criticized coverage of the controversy in the Guardian newspaper as "defamatory nonsense unworthy of this newspaper." Controversy centered in particular on postings Garlasco made to military memorabilia online bulletin boards under the moniker Flak 88, including one in which he appeared wearing a jumper bearing an Iron Cross. In another he wrote: "That is so cool! The leather SS jacket makes my blood go cold it is so COOL!"
HRW's vociferous defense of Garlasco prior to an investigation, and its subsequent lack of transparency around its actions to suspend him (the Guardian reported it was "not clear why the watchdog has decided to overturn its previous position. The body has declined to comment on what new information about Garlasco, if any, has come to light to explain its change of heart") is illustrative of a sector defined by opacity and lack of accountability in its practices.
HRW's official related statement - "Protecting Civilians: Military Expert Marc Garlasco" - follows a pattern of behavior in the sector in which headlines give little indication of, or pointedly frame, the content that follows. Its assertion that the serious allegations surrounding their staff member were a"campaign to deflect attention from Human Rights Watch's rigorous and detailed reporting on violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by the Israeli government" similarly follows a pattern of dismissing concerns about bias or rigor in Israel-related work as politically or ideologically motivated.
Following silence over many months, HRW responded in 2010 to inquires about the status of Garlasco's employment by stating it had
"regretfully accepted Marc Garlasco’s resignation on February 15th."
