Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR) is a legal charity in the UK (Charity Number: 1175498) that implements key projects to protect and promote Palestinian human rights.
LPHR’s principal strategic aim is to work to positively transform the major human rights crisis impacting Palestinians. It works on legal issues focused on advancing Palestinian human rights, with a special focus on Palestinians living under Israel’s occupation in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza Strip.
LPHR pursues its goals through the following distinct components:
- Expert and free legal work, support and advice;
- Specialist monitoring, analysis and assessment of actual and potential violations;
- Legal and human rights submissions to relevant investigatory and accountability mechanisms;
- Considered policy engagement from a legal and human rights perspective with the UK government, parliamentarians, UN Special Rapporteurs, and UN officials;
- Legal and human rights public education (includes engaging law students at law schools and universities in London through the LPHR Student Network).
LPHR works closely with Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations. It also has developed strong working relationships with a number of UK charities.
LPHR was set up in London by UK-based practising lawyers and law students in 1988. It obtained charitable status in October 2011, and appointed its first director to lead the newly-formed charity in January 2013.
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) – Lecturer in Law at the University of Exeter with research specialism in labour law and human rights; formerly Teaching Fellow at University College London (UCL) and Queen Mary University of London. Natalie holds an an LLM in Transnational Law (Distinction) from King’s College London and a PhD from UCL. Before entering academia, Natalie spent nine years in legal practice, including seven 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 Associate Lecturer (Teaching) at UCL Laws where she teaches Public and Family 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 Course 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) – Lecturer in Law at Kent University and a 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 teaching and 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.
- Edita Maric (joined 2021) – Legal Associate and holds an LLM in International Law (Distinction) from University College London.
- Peter Malynn (joined 2021) – Senior policy official in the UK Civil Service. Peter previously worked for a Member of Parliament, with a focus on international development and coordinating the work of the Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group. Peter holds a Master’s degree in History from Queen Mary, University of London.
- Margherita Parodi (joined 2021) – Volunteers with Amnesty International UK in business and human rights. Margherita holds a first class degree from the University of Bristol in Politics and International Relations and an MSc from LSE in Human Rights.
- Lucy McCann (joined 2021): Pupil barrister building experience in public and medical law. Prior to coming to the Bar, Lucy worked as a research associate for the UNDP Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) in East Jerusalem, and has volunteered as a teacher in educational partnerships and refugee camps in Nablus.
- Agnese Valenti (joined 2021): Lawyer admitted to the Bar in Italy. Legal Counsel for a consultancy company, dealing with information technology law. Agnese holds a law degree from the University of Milan with a dissertation in International Criminal Law focusing on the Palestine Situation at the International Criminal Court (ICC). After her graduation, she had a traineeship at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and worked at the Prosecution Division of the ICC.