Trustee
HRPF is fortunate in having committed and experienced directors of our corporate trustee, Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund (Trustee) Limited (Co. No. 07690599). The trustee board meets quarterly, is fully involved in the key decisions affecting HRPF and is actively involved in every application for assistance by prisoners of conscience.
David Lock KC (Chair) – David is a barrister at Landmark Chambers and Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics. He also sits as a Deputy High Court Judge in the King’s Bench and Family Divisions, and in the Crown Court as a Recorder. He is now winding down his legal practice towards retirement but has had a long legal career specialising in governance, public law and is specialist in the law relating to NHS decision making. In 2021 he was the Legal500 Public Law QC of the year. He has acted in cases concerning human rights, healthcare rights and in a variety of governance matters relating to public bodies. He is also a Board member of the Human Tissue Authority. David has served as a councillor, Member of Parliament, Government Minister and has chaired national public bodies such as the Service Authority of the National Criminal Intelligence Service. He has served as a member of the Board of a major NHS Trust and chaired the Board of the Birmingham Science Park for 5 years from 2013 to 2018. He has been married to Bernadette, a medical doctor who specialises in supporting victims of torture, for just under 40 years and they have 3 adult children, all of whom are pursuing their own interesting and varied careers. David and Bernadette are both keen cyclists and regularly take time out from their busy careers for extended cycling trips, which are recorded on their blog www.decade2australia.org.
Jonathan Taylor – Jonathan is a chartered accountant employed by a ‘Big Four’ accountancy firm in London where the majority of his work focuses on the audit of tax disclosures in the accounts of multinational groups. He has an undergraduate masters degree from the University of Oxford.
Keith Davis – Keith is a qualified accountant and has spent most of his career working on value for money in the public sector. He is currently Director of environment value for money studies at the National Audit Office (NAO), and has previously led the NAO’s work on international development. He has worked in senior communications roles at the NAO and in HM Courts and Tribunals Service. He is a serving magistrate.
Mandira Sharma – Mandira is a lawyer and human rights defender from Nepal. For the last two decades, she has been working to promote human rights in rule of law in Nepal and in the Asia region. She co-founded Advocacy Forum in 2001, Nepal’s trailblazing organisation of human rights lawyers advocating for human rights and rule of law. Leading a team of more than 120 lawyers and HRDs working in AF from 2001-2010, she became the leading voice against impunity for gross violations of human rights in Nepal. Mandira completed her Ph.D. in the University of Essex, UK. Her research includes transitional justice and accountability. She has also earned her L.L.M. (Master of Law) from the same university. Mandira Sharma works as a Senior International Legal Adviser, taking responsibility for South Asia and Myanmar at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). She is also the Chair of the Asian Alliance Against Torture and continues to Advise Advocacy Forum.
Dr Roger Harrison – Roger has long experience in management and international business gained mainly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. On completing his doctorate in cancer therapeutics, he first spent ten years in research management, before moving into a business career which focused on identifying important medical innovations, and moving them from the laboratory into routine clinical use. He has worked in the UK, USA and continental Europe, has built and led several skilled international teams, and has served on corporate executive management boards. He has extensive experience in high-value commercialisation of important new therapeutics, spanning development and marketing, contract negotiation, and the operation of the large trans-national partnerships often needed to bring major, first-in-class medicines to market.
Nora Mbagathi– Nora is a Kenyan-German lawyer with experience working in human rights in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. She is currently a Strategic Litigation Officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative in London, an Initiative which uses the law to promote and defend justice and human rights. She has previously worked for Reprieve, a non-profit organization of international lawyers who fight for victims of extreme human rights abuses. Here, Nora worked primarily on cases in Africa, aiding clients on death row in a number of East African countries.
Aysegul Arkac– Aysegul is a Paralegal at Lightrock and will join Addleshaw Goddard LLP in 2025 to qualify as a solicitor. Throughout her professional career, she has been actively engaged in human rights initiatives, demonstrating a deep passion for the subject and a genuine inspiration to drive positive change in people’s lives. Prior to joining Lightrock, Aysegul worked in the government sector as a treasury specialist in Turkey and then transitioned into the legal sector as an administrative judge with extensive experience in public affairs, tax and the regulatory landscape.
Sebastian Scott – Sebastian is a British-German Program Manager at the Open Society Justice Initiative in London, which uses the law to promote and defend justice and human rights, globally. Sebastian has a background in law and criminology with over 14 years’ experience within the human rights and development field. Working as a funder and practitioner, Sebastian’s work has focused on projects supporting workers’ and refugee rights, access to education, climate justice, and strengthening the strategic litigation field.
Patrons
The Human Rights Protection Fund benefits from the support of many distinguished patrons:
Lady Brooke, Lynn Carter, Dame Judi Dench DBE, Lady Antonia Fraser DBE, Rosamund Horwood-Smart KC, Kurt & Caroline Jackson, Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, Neil Latchman, Caroline Moorehead OBE, Rabbi Julia Neuberger DBE, Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, The Hon Jonathon Porritt, Lord Puttnam CBE, Rev Dr Nicholas Sagovsky, Sir Tom Stoppard OM, Zoë Wanamaker CBE.
Staff
Gary Allison LLB MBA – Director
Gary joined as Director in July 2018 following 25 years of legal practice in South Africa and England. Having supported various NGOs and charities over the last four decades, Gary served as a trustee, and latterly, as Vice-Chair, of PoC from 2001 to 2013. With an MBA from Warwick University, which focussed on the charity and professional services sectors, Gary brings a commercial approach and passion for increasing the work of HRPF in meeting the acute needs of prisoners of conscience in the UK and internationally.
Emily Cray – Grants and Engagement Manager
Emily joined HRPF in December 2022 after completing her MSc in Global Ethics and Justice at the University of Birmingham. She plays a key role in both the delivery of our grant-making work and the development of supporter engagement. Emily assesses, researches, and processes grant applications and leads on digital communications, working with Rachel to create impactful fundraising appeals and strengthen connections with our growing network of donors.
Rachel Denham- Communications and Administration Officer
Rachel is our newest staff member, joining in March 2025. Originally trained as a medical doctor at Cardiff University, she then worked for humanitarian organisations and charities in Europe and Canada. Rachel combines her knowledge of communications with her passion for protecting human rights and advancing social progress. She creates content for our social media, maintains and develops the website, and manages our supporter database.
Volunteers and Interns
We would not be able to carry out our work without the support from volunteers and interns. We are supported by about 6 volunteers at any one time.