For information about working for KHRP, please see our employment page.

Chief Executive

Kerim Yildiz

Kerim Yildiz is an expert in international human rights law and the Kurdish regions, and a co-founder of the Kurdish Human Rights Project.

KHRP’s work has contributed to important reforms in Turkey, including the lifting of the State of Emergency and abolition of state security courts. Yildiz received an award from the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights for his services to protect human rights and promote the rule of law in 1996, and in 2005 also received the Sigrid Rausing Trust’s Human Rights award for Leadership in Indigenous and Minority Rights.  He has extensive experience in human rights and actively works to raise awareness on human rights violations worldwide; assisting with many cases to the European Court of Human Rights, conducting legal training seminars in Europe and the Kurdish regions, and regularly contributing to seminars and conferences.  Yildiz has also written extensively on human rights including numerous essays, articles and chapters on freedom of expression, national security, torture and minority rights published in English, Turkish, Finnish and Russian. His most recent publications include ‘Turkey’s Accession to the EU: Democracy, Human Rights and the Kurds’ (Pluto Press, 2005),  ‘The Kurds in Syria: The Forgotten People’ (Pluto Press, 2005), 'The Kurds in Iraq: Past, Present and Future - Revised Edition' (Pluto Press, 2007), 'The Kurds in Iran: Past Present and Future' (Pluto Press, 2007, with Tanyel Taysi) and 'An Ongoing Practice: Torture in Turkey' (KHRP, 2007, with Frederick Piggott).  He is also a Board member of other human rights and environmental organisations, serving as the Board Chair of the Gateway trust, advisor to the Delfina Foundation and  member of Kurdish Pen.

Managing Director

Rachel Bernu

Rachel Bernu has carried out fact-finding missions and trainings in the Kurdish regions of Turkey and Iraq. In addition, she supports the Executive Director and Board in analysing government policy here in UK as well as in the Kurdish regions that affects KHRP’s activities and overall aims. She spearheaded the integration of a gender lens into all of KHRP’s work and particularly focuses on the specific difficulties that women face accessing their rights, be it in their own home or at municipal, national or international levels. Fluent in French, Rachel carried out her post-graduate studies in international law in Paris, France and Cayenne, French Guiana, after having a successful career in Washington DC, which included directing the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards programme at the Institute for Policy Studies. Rachel began her career in international development working in Dakar, Senegal, moved on to look at possibilities for peace-building in Israel and Palestine, and has been committed to promoting historically disadvantaged groups, especially women of colour or from socially excluded backgrounds, in all of her work. Rachel is regularly asked to appear on news programmes related to the Kurdish regions and frequently gives talks on a wide array of topics from the current situation of the Kurds, to running an effective NGO, to how to write trial observation reports for international audiences.

Legal Director

Catriona Vine

Catriona is a qualified barrister with extensive experience in criminal, public and human rights law in the UK and internationally.  She holds an LLM in Public International Law from the London School of Economics. After working building her own practice for several years, Catriona went on to teach at the College of Law before joining KHRP in 2007. As a member of the KHRP Legal Team and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, Catriona has also carried out frequent fact-finding missions and legal trainings.  While completing her academic and practical training, Catriona interned in several human rights organisations, including the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Centre (LCAC) in Louisiana, the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch in New York, the Human Rights Unit of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, and at the Irish Centre for Human Rights.  Catriona is Executive Editor of the bi-annual KHRP journal, the Legal Review and has also contributed to several publications on human rights, including ‘The Status of Internally Displaced Kurds in Turkey: Return and Compensation Rights – An Update’ (KHRP, 2005) and ‘Refusing Refuge: Investigating the Treatment of Refugees in Turkey’ (KHRP. 2007).

Legal Associate

Saniye Karakaş

Saniye worked as a lawyer in Turkey from 2000 to 2006, specialising in criminal law and human rights law. She has also been involved in human rights activism in Turkey as a member of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, the Contemporary Lawyers Association and the Diyarbakır branch of the Human Rights Association. In addition, Saniye has undertaken legal internships with KHRP and the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute. In October 2007, she completed her LLM in human rights at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Turkey and Iraq Desk Officer

Mustafa Gündoğdu

Mustafa Gündoğdu is a Sociology graduate from Turkey with a Masters in International Relations from the London School of Economics.  From 1996 to 2000 he worked as an Administrator and Project Coordinator at the Foundation for Legal and Social Studies (TOHAV) for the victims of human rights violations, with particular focus on the medical rehabilitation of victims of torture. Mustafa has also worked for number of research projects on the Kurds, internally displaced persons in Turkey and trans-national migrant communities conducted by researchers and universities in Turkey and the UK.  He is also a founding member of the London Kurdish Film Festival Organising Committee and assists Glasgow international Human Rights Film festival with its film programme concerning Kurds and human rights violations in Turkey. Since 2003, he has also been a member of Council of Europe Democratic Leadership Programme. He has been with KHRP since 2000.

Resources and Communications Manager

Pranjali Acharya

Pranjali graduated in marketing from Lancaster University, and spent 2 and a half years working in corporate marketing in the City.  She made the transition to the not-for-profit sector after completing a Masters in International Relations at Warwick University, where she focused on international security, human rights, globalisation and development. Her thesis examined the gendered nature of the Israel-Palestine conflict.  After a period working in local government, she joined KHRP in July 2004.

Development and Outreach Officer

Anna Irvin

Anna is an English Language and Literature graduate from King’s College London. Upon leaving university, Anna became a senior event planner, organising events for the NSPCC and Forum for the Future among others. She worked in community theatre projects before joining KHRP in June 2005.

Assistant to the Chief Executive

Janna Mancini

Janna graduated in political science from Fordham University in New York and worked for four years in the Office of the Mayor.  After leaving City government, she went on to join the former Mayor's business consulting firm.  In December 2007 she completed a Masters in International Affairs at New School University, concentrating on issues of conflict and security and human rights.  After moving to London, she joined KHRP in October 2008.

Finance Officer  

Maia Phutkaradze 

Maia graduated with a Bachelors degree in International Economic Relations from Batumi State University in Georgia in 2003. She then went on to do a Masters in Finance and Banking at Tbilisi State University and to qualify as an accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Prior to joining KHRP in October 2009, she worked in accounts in the charitable and environmental sector.

Administrator

Jori Knight-Jones

In addition to her cand jur law degree from Bergen University, Norway, Jori has studied international law and human rights at Cape Town University, including courses in international criminal law, international rights of the child, and conflict resolution. During and after her studies, Jori volunteered and worked with various NGOs. She has also worked as a paralegal in a number of law firms specialising in criminal law. Jori undertook a legal internship with KHRP before joining the staff in April 2009.

INTERNS, VOLUNTEERS and FELLOWS

As a small organisation, we could not function without the help of our interns, volunteers, and fellows. Their work is essential and invaluable. All interns, volunteers and contractors are listed in full in the annual Impact Report.

LEGAL TEAM

We are also massively indebted to our legal team, who form an integral part of KHRP’s workforce. They provide us with expert legal advice, undertake fact finding missions and trial observations, while undertaking all our litigation and advocacy work on a pro-bono basis. KHRP could not operate without their work and expertise.