Fighting for Justice
since 2014
Our History
Our foundation was officially established in the Netherlands in 2014 in order to create awareness for Clinton Young’s death penalty case. Our legal director Merel Pontier joined in 2017.
In 2020, the foundation was officially established by Merel in Texas. Over the years, the foundation has grown into an international team of dedicated and passionate volunteers with diverse backgrounds, expertise, and experiences, focusing on wrongful convictions in capital murder cases in Texas.
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Our Mission
The Foundation’s mission is to help those wrongfully convicted of capital murder in Texas. While it all began with Clinton, we are now expanding to as many others as our resources allow. We also focus on the ‘slow death penalty’ – those who have been wrongfully convicted but sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison. We investigate, we litigate, and we educate the public about injustices in the American criminal justice system.
Our Team
Board Members
James Peterson
Board Member (US)
Marlou Cornelissen
Board Member (US & NL)
will be filled soon
Board Member (US & NL)
Staff
Merel Pontier
Merel is a licensed attorney in the State of Texas and has law degrees from law schools in both the USA and the Netherlands. Merel has worked for renowned law firms in New York, Louisiana, Curacao, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam and has 5 legal publications, including two books. Merel founded CYF US and works for CYF in Austin, Texas.
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