Professor of Human Rights Law at Washington College of Law, American University

Juan Méndez was United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment. He was also Special Advisor to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The Chair is a renowned, experienced international expert of independence and probity, and panel members were selected because of their independence, experience, and legal and academic expertise. The composition of the Inquiry panel reflects knowledge and expertise in law and policy, human rights, anti-discrimination, work in South Asian communities, and academic research methods.

Human Rights and transitional justice expert

Lisa Magarrell, a human rights and transitional justice expert based in New York who was an advisor to the community-based Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission in North Carolina (US).

Reader, Department of Development Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies.

Professor, Department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Founder and national coordinator, The Monitoring Group

Founder and national coordinator, The Monitoring Group, a pre-eminent organization working against racism and discrimination since the late 1970s, and which played a leading role in several public inquiries, including the Stephen Lawrence, Zahid Mubarek and Victoria Climbié inquiries and numerous other campaigns.

Naim Razak has worked at grassroots level with diverse communities across Leicester city for over 40 years. He started my career as a youth worker in Belgrave and moved into community development, working in the voluntary sector, the NHS and with the local authorities.

As a community health development co-ordinator, a primary aspect of his role involved engaging with black and minority ethnic communities, including liaising with community leaders, religious leaders and key stakeholders, to promote positive health & wellbeing and address health inequalities to help improve their quality of life.

Naim currently manages a registered charity based in Leicester that provides activities for adults with learning disabilities promoting independence, informal learning and confidence building.

He is passionate about tackling inequality and injustice and his experience has helped him develop a comprehensive understanding of how poverty, deprivation and social disadvantage have led to health inequalities for various communities.

Umesh Patel worked as a youth worker in the Belgrave area during the late 80’s, having studied Sports Management and Sports Science at university. He subsequently worked for 15 years with Her Majesty’s Probation Service in Leicester, and then as a Community Wellness Coordinator with the NHS Leicester Partnership Trust. He has spent most of his working life in Leicester, and Belgrave in particular.

Umesh has worked extensively with young people in the Belgrave community and has managed and delivered numerous health and sports-related events and programmes in Leicester. He co-founded a football team in 1987, FC Belgrave, which is still running today and provides free training for under-18s from across Leicester’s communities.

Umesh has considerable working experience in Leicester of community-based services and social welfare, especially in areas related to health and wellbeing, individual and family support, and foster care.

Umesh’s background, including his antiracist campaigning, youth, and community work in Leicester has given him an extensive understanding of the issues faced by young people in Leicester from both settled and newly arrived communities. This includes insight into issues of crime and violence, discrimination, and poverty, among other social pressures.

Leesa Naidu was born in Leicester. She is a qualified Social Worker and Mental Health Professional (AMHP). Leesa has over 10 years of statutory sector experience. She has worked for various local authorities and NHS trusts. 

Leesa is passionate about tackling the structures of racism. She wants to see how it intersects with people's lives. She is committed to fighting discrimination and oppression in her daily work. Her Master's thesis in Social Work explored the high numbers of Black African-Caribbean males detained under the Mental Health Act (1983) compared to their white counterparts. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the experiences of people living with HIV and AIDS in Leicester. Leesa has recently joined The Monitoring Group and is excited about her journey in working for an anti-racist organisation.