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:
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 QC 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.
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 QC 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.
Staff
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.
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.
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.
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.
Isobelle Degale
Senior Communications Officer
Isobelle joined The Death Penalty Project as Communications Officer in June 2022. She manages the day-to-day communications across The Death Penalty Project’s work including social media, the DPP website, and co-ordinating press and media relations.
Before joining The Death Penalty Project, her background was in PR and social media in the fashion industry. Passionate about social justice and human rights, Isobelle has a MA in Human Rights from the University of Sussex and a BA in History from SOAS, University of London.
Silvia Galimberti
Senior Projects Officer
Silvia Galimberti joined in July 2022 and is in charge of the project work of The Death Penalty Project.
Previously, she worked at RAND Europe, managing research and policy studies in the Home Affairs and Social Policy team. Her research interests are broad, but most of her work has revolved around issues related to illicit markets, prison reform, counterterrorism, and law enforcement cooperation. Before that, Silvia worked at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the division of Treaty Affairs, conducting research and analysis on issues related to organised crime. She holds an MSc in Criminal Justice Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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.
Kane Nosworthy
Legal Trainee
Kane worked as a Paralegal at Simons Muirhead and Burton (SMB) before starting his training contract with the firm. He is currently sitting in The Death Penalty Project’s legal team and joined us in October 2023.
Kane has worked with a national corporation and a leading commercial chamber. He has experience in assisting fee earners on multijurisdictional disputes and drafting commercial terms. He also previously volunteered at a criminal appeal charity, working with legal professionals to gather evidence that would enable his client’s cases to be reviewed by the Court of Appeal.
Samantha Murphie
Intern
Samantha joined The Death Penalty Project in January 2024. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with a specialisation in Human Rights at the University of Galway in conjunction with the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Her specific area of interest is International Criminal Law and the application of accountability mechanisms, particularly in relation to transitional justice. She joins The Death Penalty Project to gain invaluable insight into this field.