Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR) is a UK legal charity (No. 1175498) that works on key projects to protect and promote Palestinian human rights. Our principal aim is to provide legal and human rights expertise that effectively contributes towards transforming the critical human rights situation impacting Palestinians. We are dedicated to working to fulfil core principles of legal accountability, fairness and compliance with the rule of law.
LPHR seeks to achieve our objectives through the following components of our work:
- free, quality legal work, support and advice;
- utilising accountability and human rights mechanisms of domestic and international institutions;
- monitoring, analysis and urgent actions on human rights and international law violations;
- policy engagement from a legal and human rights perspective with the UK Government, parliamentarians, United Nations Special Rapporteurs and United Nations officials;
- legal advocacy and education (the latter includes engaging law students at law schools and universities in London through the LPHR Student Network).
We prioritise coordinating our work with Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations.
LPHR Director – Tareq Shrourou
Tareq is the Director of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights. Prior he was a practising human rights solicitor and co-supervised the free human rights legal advice service at Liberty.
Tareq leads on LPHR’s legal work, policy positioning, government and parliamentary engagement, education activities and outreach. He supervises and works with LPHR’s Executive Committee who provide outstanding voluntary support. He devises and implements LPHR’s strategy with the oversight of its expert board of trustees and has responsibility for LPHR’s profile and impact.
Before becoming LPHR’s first Director in 2013, Tareq worked as a human rights solicitor representing asylum claimants, unaccompanied children and survivors of human trafficking. In this position he was specifically referred serious and complex cases from two prominent UK human rights organisations, Freedom from Torture and Liberty. He represented the Pakistan test-match cricketer, Zulqarnain Haider, in a high profile asylum claim.
Prior to being a practising solicitor, Tareq co-supervised the free legal advice service of Liberty which helps hundreds of individuals each year, after completing his legal training at a leading legal aid practice in London.
Tareq holds an LLB law degree from SOAS, University of London, an LLM in Public International Law from King’s College London, University of London, and completed the LPC with a distinction. He is mixed heritage, with an English mother and Palestinian father.
LPHR Trustees
- Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC (founder of the UK law firm, Bindmans LLP)
- Fiona McKay (senior managing legal officer on international justice at the Open Society Justice Initiative)
- Tessa Gregory (partner at the UK law firm, Leigh Day, and described in 2020 by the Legal 500 as “a stand-out public lawyer who brings tenacity, intelligence and a wealth of experience to her cases”)
- Nusrat Uddin (public law and human rights solicitor at the UK law firm, Wilsons. Nusrat was a finalist in the 2019 Law Society Excellence Awards for Human Rights Lawyer of the Year, and also a finalist for Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year 2019, in the Children’s Rights category, organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group)
- Professor Bill Bowring (Professor of Law at Birkbeck College, University of London)
- Geraldine Isherwood (experienced finance director and manager)
- Jocelyn Hurndall (former charity director)
LPHR Executive Committee (2020-2021)
- Natalie Sedacca (joined 2013) – PhD Candidate in labour law and human rights and Teaching Fellow at UCL Laws. Natalie holds an an LLM in Transnational Law (Distinction) from King’s College London. Prior to starting her PhD, Natalie spent nine years in legal practice (two years in training and seven years as a qualified solicitor) specialising in claims against the police and public authorities.
- Alicia Mendonca-Richards (joined 2013) – Practising Solicitor and holds an LLM in Public International Law (Distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Alicia was recognised in the 2020 Legal 500 guide as a ‘Rising Star’.
- Laila Hamzi (joined 2013) – Senior Associate Solicitor practising in commercial arbitration, investor-state disputes, public international law, commercial litigation and regulatory investigations at a global law firm. Laila holds an LLM in Public International Law (Distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
- Aleisha Ebrahimi (joined 2013) – PhD Candidate in gender and law and Teaching Fellow at UCL Laws where she teaches public law. Aleisha holds an LLM in Transnational Law (Distinction) from King’s College London and completed the Bar Professional Training Course at BPP University Law School. Aleisha is on a career break from Her Majesty’s Government in order to undertake her PhD research.
- Dearbhla Katharine Minogue (joined 2014) – Legal officer at the Global Legal Action Network working on Yemen, modern slavery, and corporate supply chain and accountability actions. In addition, Dearbhla is a consultant solicitor at the leading UK law firm specialising in human rights law, Bindmans LLP.
- Angelina Nicolaou (joined 2015) – Barrister at One Pump Court Chambers practising in immigration, inquest/inquiries and crime/prisons law. Angelina holds an LLM in International Crime and Justice (Distinction) from the United Nations Interregional Crime & Justice Research Institute.
- Emma Fullerton (joined 2017) – CEO of Prisoners’ Penfriends and completed the Bar Professional Training Court at BPP University Law School.
- Alamara Khwaja Bettum (joined 2017) – Legal Caseworker at the child refugee charity, Safe Passage. Prior to completing her LLB law degree (First Class) from the University of London, Alamara worked for three years in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq on protection projects for refugees and internally displaced people.
- Shahd Hammouri (joined 2018) – PhD Candidate in corporate involvement in armed conflict at the Manchester International Law Centre. Shahd obtained her Masters Degree in International Economic Law at Sciences Po, Paris. Aside from her research, Shahd is a consultant in business and human rights with focus on the MENA region.
- Anastasia O’Brien (joined 2019) – Public law and human rights pupil barrister at the UK Government Legal Department.
- Rebecca Nguyen van Thuy (joined 2019) – Works in Amnesty International UK’s Crisis Team. Previously, Rebecca spent six years in the banking and financial sector. Rebecca holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from HEC Paris and a Master’s Degree in International Politics from SOAS.