Edgar Chen

Edgar Chen served for a decade at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, in the Office of Legislative Affairs, and as senior trial attorney leading investigations and civil and criminal cases against suspected human rights violators, including participants in Nazi-sponsored persecution at the Office of Special Investigations (later the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section).

Previously, he served as counsel and liaison to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for the Coalition for International Justice. He also worked as an oversight attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the Department of Commerce, and as Senior Advisor (detailed as Chief of Staff) at the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. He was Policy Director for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and continues to advise the organization on combating anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination. Edgar has written extensively on a variety of issues for Just Security and other publications, including on transitional justice, human rights enforcement, racial justice in the military, the decennial Census, and congressional oversight of the executive branch. He is also on LinkedIn.