Karen Tse

Karen Tse is an award-winning human rights lawyer, ordained minister, and the founder and CEO of International Bridges to Justice, a global nonprofit organization focused on eradicating torture and ensuring due process rights for the accused.

Under Tse’s leadership, International Bridges to Justice has become a prominent advocate for legal reform, with a presence in more than 50 countries and permanent programs in over a dozen. The organization has supported tens of thousands of lawyers and defenders, collectively representing more than half a million detainees, and has reached tens of millions through global rights awareness campaigns. The organization’s approach combines grassroots support for defense lawyers with engagement of police, prosecutors, and judges, fostering systemic change and promoting access to legal counsel and the elimination of torture as an investigative tool.

Tse’s work has been recognized with awards from the Skoll Foundation, Ashoka, Echoing Green, the American Bar Association, and Harvard Divinity School. She has been named one of America’s best leaders by US News and World Report and has delivered influential talks, including a widely viewed TED Talk, sharing insights on justice reform and the spiritual foundations of human rights advocacy. Her public speaking and thought leadership highlight the challenges and transformative potential of global justice reform.

Tse began her career as a public defender in San Francisco, where she developed a commitment to the intersection of criminal law and human rights. Her dedication deepened during her work in Cambodia, where she trained the country's first core group of public defenders and served as a United Nations Judicial Mentor, witnessing systemic injustices faced by detainees subjected to torture and prolonged detention without trial.