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The Death Penalty Project Charitable Trust

The Death Penalty Project Charitable Trust is a legal action charity that works to uphold human rights and the rule of law, specifically as it relates to the death penalty.

Photo credits: Annette So
Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Kenya

Our Objectives

To promote and protect human rights in the Caribbean, anglophone African countries and elsewhere and particularly the rights of individuals accused of crimes that are punishable by death and of those who have been sentenced to death

To promote the sound administration of the law

To advance education, research and training in domestic and international law (including international human rights law), and in particular concerning the operation of the death penalty

Our Activities

The DPPCT seeks to achieve its objectives through a variety of activities, including:

  • The provision of free legal representation for prisoners under sentence of death, who would not otherwise have access to legal advice
  • Consultation with, and training of, lawyers, judges, non-government organisations (NGOs) and human rights workers, both in the UK and elsewhere, thus promoting capacity building, increased awareness and dialogue
  • The development, commissioning and dissemination of appropriate studies

Trustees

Trustees

Anthony Burton CBE

Chair of Board of Trustees

Anthony is Chair of the Board and has been involved with the DPP since its inception. A leading authority on domestic and international criminal law, Anthony has a wealth of high-profile court experience.

Anthony is chairman of the Board of the Royal Court Theatre and is a regular writer and broadcaster on legal affairs. He is a Council member of the all party organisation Justice and a Trustee of the Heart of England Forest. The Legal 500 ranks Anthony as a leader in his field, and the Chambers Guide describes him as “the criminal heartbeat of the firm…a calm authority”.

 

Edward Fitzgerald KC CBE

Trustee

Edward is a founder board member. Edward is joint head of Doughty Street Chambers and specialises in criminal law, public law and international human rights law. He was awarded a CBE in 2008 and is a winner of the Silk of the Year award (2005) and the Times Justice Human Rights Award (1998). He has won numerous important appeals in the House of Lords and the Privy Council establishing rights for death row prisoners. He has also appeared frequently in the European Court of Human Rights. Edward has been called to the Bar in numerous jurisdictions, including Belize, Grenada and St Vincent, and has been granted rights of audience to appear in cases in Hong Kong, Trinidad & Tobago, St Lucia, Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands.

 

 

Simon Goldberg

Trustee

Simon is a highly experienced commercial lawyer at Simons Muirhead & Burton LLP, specialising in non-contentious media work. He is recognised by both the Chambers Guide and the Legal 500 as a key practitioner in his field, and is ranked in four different practice areas. Key clients include Dennis Publishing, Time Out and talent agency 42 MP. Simon is a visiting lecturer in media studies at Warwick University. He is also a Trustee of the PSA Foundation and frequently advises charities on commercial and IP issues.

Simon has been a key adviser to and ardent supporter of The Death Penalty Project for several years, advising on a wide range of fundraising and public profile matters.

Andrew Rodger

Trustee

Andrew joined the Board of Trustees in December 2024.  He has 30 years’ experience in private wealth management, business law and litigation. Andrew is Head of UK Wealth Management at AlTi. Earlier in his career he qualified as an English barrister and practised as a litigator for 13 years, during which time he was also admitted to the New York Bar and qualified as a mediator. Andrew also acts as General Counsel to the Mustique Company and is a Trustee of the Royal Court Theatre and the UK Friends of the Mustique Charitable Trust.

Anthony Burton CBE

Chair of Board of Trustees

Anthony is Chair of the Board and has been involved with the DPP since its inception. A leading authority on domestic and international criminal law, Anthony has a wealth of high-profile court experience.

Anthony is chairman of the Board of the Royal Court Theatre and is a regular writer and broadcaster on legal affairs. He is a Council member of the all party organisation Justice and a Trustee of the Heart of England Forest. The Legal 500 ranks Anthony as a leader in his field, and the Chambers Guide describes him as “the criminal heartbeat of the firm…a calm authority”.

 

Edward Fitzgerald KC CBE

Trustee

Edward is a founder board member. Edward is joint head of Doughty Street Chambers and specialises in criminal law, public law and international human rights law. He was awarded a CBE in 2008 and is a winner of the Silk of the Year award (2005) and the Times Justice Human Rights Award (1998). He has won numerous important appeals in the House of Lords and the Privy Council establishing rights for death row prisoners. He has also appeared frequently in the European Court of Human Rights. Edward has been called to the Bar in numerous jurisdictions, including Belize, Grenada and St Vincent, and has been granted rights of audience to appear in cases in Hong Kong, Trinidad & Tobago, St Lucia, Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands.

 

 

Simon Goldberg

Trustee

Simon is a highly experienced commercial lawyer at Simons Muirhead & Burton LLP, specialising in non-contentious media work. He is recognised by both the Chambers Guide and the Legal 500 as a key practitioner in his field, and is ranked in four different practice areas. Key clients include Dennis Publishing, Time Out and talent agency 42 MP. Simon is a visiting lecturer in media studies at Warwick University. He is also a Trustee of the PSA Foundation and frequently advises charities on commercial and IP issues.

Simon has been a key adviser to and ardent supporter of The Death Penalty Project for several years, advising on a wide range of fundraising and public profile matters.

Andrew Rodger

Trustee

Andrew joined the Board of Trustees in December 2024.  He has 30 years’ experience in private wealth management, business law and litigation. Andrew is Head of UK Wealth Management at AlTi. Earlier in his career he qualified as an English barrister and practised as a litigator for 13 years, during which time he was also admitted to the New York Bar and qualified as a mediator. Andrew also acts as General Counsel to the Mustique Company and is a Trustee of the Royal Court Theatre and the UK Friends of the Mustique Charitable Trust.

Staff

Email
Parvais Jabbar

CO-FOUNDER & CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Parvais has for over two decades represented individuals facing the death penalty around the world at the appellate level and before international bodies. A recognised expert on the death penalty and human rights law, Parvais has led and participated in international delegations advising on criminal justice reform and regularly lectures and speaks on capital punishment issues.

In 2012, Parvais was awarded an MBE for his services to international human rights and in 2016, received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from Middlesex University.

Email
Saul Lehrfreund

CO-FOUNDER & CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Saul has dedicated his career to representing prisoners facing the death penalty in criminal and constitutional proceedings and also before international tribunals and courts. He is a leading authority on capital punishment and international human rights law and has published and lectured extensively on these topics.
In 2000, he was awarded an MBE for services to international human rights. In 2016, he was appointed as a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Reading, where he has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws.

Email
Rebecca Olschner-Wood

Deputy Director

Rebecca joined The Death Penalty Project as Deputy Director in November 2023. She has over 10 years’ experience in project management and leadership roles within the human rights and development sector. Most recently she was Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Fund for Global Human Rights and prior to that was the Executive Director of AdvocAid Sierra Leone. In 2019 Rebecca joined the Board of Womankind Worldwide.

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Killian Moran

Senior Legal Officer

Killian joined The Death Penalty Project in March 2022. He specialised in bringing public law challenges on behalf of people in the prison estate. His work representing prisoners with mental capacity issues led to substantive changes to UK legislation.

He now works in the legal team at The Death Penalty Project representing those facing the death penalty, bringing appeals before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and assisting those facing miscarriages of justice before other domestic and international tribunals.

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Bethany Jackson

Legal Officer

Bethany joined The Death Penalty Project as Legal Officer in October 2023. She has extensive experience acting to uphold the rights of prisoners. Her previous work includes legal challenges regarding the mechanisms for prisoners’ release and challenging discriminatory practices within the prison estate.

Bethany joins the legal team at The Death Penalty Project representing those facing the death penalty, bringing appeals before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and assisting those facing miscarriages of justice before other domestic and international tribunals.

 

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Molly Nathan

Legal Trainee

Molly is a trainee at Simons Muirhead Burton LLP (SMB). She is currently sitting in The Death Penalty Project’s legal team.

Previously, Molly worked as paralegal at a human rights firm in their Civil Liberties team. She has litigation experience relating to compensation claims arising from human rights and common law breaches by public authorities, including engaging in settlement negotiations, and attendance and preparation for hearings at County Courts. Molly is Trustee of a charity which supports and raises awareness of homelessness, refugees, and child bereavement.

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Connie Parker-Dhinakaran

Project Manager

Connie joined The Death Penalty Project as Project Manager in August 2024. She has worked across a range of international human rights organisations and foundations, bringing experience of project management, grant-making and fundraising. Most recently, she was Trusts and Grants Manager at International Justice Mission (IJM) UK, having previously worked with IJM in India. Connie has a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Politics of Conflict, Rights and Justice from SOAS, University of London.

Email
Louise Normand

Project Assistant

Louise joined The Death Penalty Project as a Project Assistant in September 2024.  She has a BA in Law and Anthropology from the London School of Economics, graduating in June 2024.  Whilst at university she was Head of Communications at LSE Lawyers Without Borders and completed several summer internships at law firms.

Our funders

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of all our funders and individuals donors who make our work possible. Our current funders include: