Democracy for the Arab World Now

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) is an American non-profit organization launched in September 2020 that advocates for democracy and human rights in the Arab world. DAWN was founded by Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi before his assassination.

Leadership, aims and funding
Director Sarah Leah Whitson said it was established based on the "belief that only democracy and freedom will bring lasting peace and security to the Middle East and North Africa." Whitson said DAWN would be funded by private individuals and foundations and eschew any government financial assistance – in part, precisely because one aspect of its mission is "to hold Western states accountable" for enabling abuses by authoritarian governments.

Actions
In October 2022, after conducting its own research, DAWN submitted a request to the International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine to investigate Eyal Toledano, a former legal advisor to the Israeli Defense Forces, alleging that from 2016 to 2020, Toledano "planned approved, or oversaw acts and policies that constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and human rights violations, including ... maintaining a system of apartheid".