Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR) is a legal charity (No. 1175498) in the UK that works on key projects to protect and promote Palestinian human rights. Our principal aim is to provide legal expertise that effectively contributes towards positively transforming the critical human rights situation impacting Palestinians.
LPHR seeks to achieve this overriding priority 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 human rights organisations in the region. LPHR is a resource member of the EuroMed Rights Working Group on Palestine, Israel and Palestinians – whose full members are Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations.
LPHR Director – Tareq Shrourou
Tareq is the Director of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights. Prior to this he was a practising human rights solicitor and previously worked for Liberty and Christian Khan Solicitors.
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 (see below) who provide outstanding voluntary support. He devises and implements LPHR’s strategy with the oversight of its distinguished board of trustees (see below) 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, and represented the Pakistan test cricketer, Zulqarnain Haider, in a high profile asylum claim. Prior to being a practising solicitor, he co-managed the public legal advice service of Liberty, after completing his legal training at Christian Khan Solicitors (established by the influential human rights lawyer, Louise Christian, and the former solicitor and current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan).
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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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’.
- 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) – Paralegal in immigration law at Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP which is recognised as a leader in immigration law by the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. 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 Persons.
- 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.
LPHR Trustees
- Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC (founder of the UK law firm, Bindmans LLP, which is recognised as a leader in human rights law by the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners)
- 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”)
- Fiona McKay (senior managing legal officer on international justice at the Open Society Justice Initiative)
- 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)