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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 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

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
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.

Email
Isobelle Degale

Communications Officer

Isobelle joined The Death Penalty Project as Communications Officer in June 2022 and manages the day-to-day communications across The Death Penalty Project’s work including social media, the DPP website, press and media relations.

Before joining The Death Penalty Project, her background was in PR and social media  in the fashion industry. Isobelle has a Masters in Human Rights from the University of Sussex and BA History from SOAS, University of London.

Email
Silvia Galimberti

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.

Email
Amy Pertwee

Legal Trainee

Amy joined The Death Penalty Project as a Trainee Solicitor in April 2023. She began her career in the charity sector, where she helped marginalised individuals navigate the legal system and access free legal advice. Amy then went on to work in a range of legal roles, which included working as a paralegal at a multi-disciplinary set of Chambers and later, at a UK regulator of healthcare professions.

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: