David Fathi

Chair

Member of the Membership Council since 2016, Chair since December 2021

David Fathi is a lawyer who has devoted more than 20 years of his professional career to the representation of prisoners and the struggle for a criminal justice system that is humane, progressive and rehabilitative.

From 2007 until 2010 he was the Director of the US program at Human Rights Watch where he supervised research and advocacy on the death penalty, prison conditions, racial discrimination, the rights of immigrants and other human rights issues. Since 2010 he has served as Director of the National Prison Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and from 2012 to 2015 he represented the American Civil Liberties Union in the negotiations leading to the adoption of the United Nations Revised Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’). The ACLU National Prison Project leads Stop Solitary, a national (and increasingly international) campaign to end the abuse of long-term solitary confinement.

David has published and lectured extensively on criminal justice and human rights issues, and wished to become a member of PRI’s Membership Council to be able to share learning with colleagues in other countries, particularly to help colleagues advocate against the kind of punitive policies that have made the US criminal justice system a human rights disaster.

David considers that PRI’s leadership role in the revision of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners was invaluable, and has no doubt that the resulting Nelson Mandela Rules are significantly more protective and progressive, thanks to PRI’s leadership.

Erika Marseille

Treasurer

Member of the Membership Council since 2020, Treasurer since 2022

Erika Marseille is an economist currently working as an independent. She brings a strong financial and economic background to PRI, as well as an understanding of the legal context in which PRI operates, which will be fundamental to promoting the financial resilience of PRI and its ability to promote fair and effective justice long-term.

Erika combines her passion for human rights with her financial expertise by holding roles on boards or internal financial oversight mechanisms of civil society organisations, including in the past Amnesty International, Netherlands Helsinki Committee, and Transparency International Netherlands. As a Dutch organisation, PRI also welcomes Ms Marseille’s practical and legal understanding of the operations of international non-governmental organisations registered in The Netherlands.

When elected Erika said: ‘From my early years on, human rights have appealed to me. Being a financial expert, usually my “domain” is in the management of the organisation, financially as well as otherwise. For NGOs to attract people willing to give their time to shape the public debate and publicly advocate the cause, the organisation must be healthy and managed properly. This is where I come in. Status quo is something that does not attract me, I like change, and more so: improvement. As I am now doing a master in law, focusing on mediation and alternative dispute resolution, I am delighted to join PRI and help the organisation grow and flourish.’

Dr. Roselyn Karugonjo-Segawa

Secretary General

Member of the Membership Council since 2016, Secretary General since December 2021

Dr. Roselyn Karugonjo-Segawa is a Ugandan lawyer. She is the Chairperson of the inaugural Ugandan Leadership Code Tribunal. Before this appointment she was working as the Dean, Faculty of Law, Uganda Christian University where she taught human rights and international humanitarian law. She also worked for over 12 years with the Uganda Human Rights Commission, serving in several posts such as the Director of the Directorate of Monitoring and Inspections at the Uganda Human Rights Commission.

Roselyn joined PRI because she wishes to contribute towards: the creation of efficient criminal justice systems; access to justice