On
11 September 2001, our world changed. The West’s response to 9/11 has morphed
into a period of exception. Governments have decided that the rule of law and
human rights are often too costly.
In this Sussex Development Lecture, Shami Chakrabarti,
who joined Liberty, the UK’s leading civil rights organization, on 10
September 2001 – explores why our fundamental rights and freedoms are
indispensable. She will also explore the unprecedented pressures those rights
are under today. Drawing on her own work in high-profile campaigns, from
privacy laws to anti-terror legislation, Shami Chakrabarti will highlight the
threats to our democratic institutions and why our rights are paramount in
upholding democracy.
About the speaker
Shami Chakrabarti has been Director of Liberty (The National Council for Civil Liberties) since September 2003. She first joined Liberty as In-House Counsel on 10 September 2001. She became heavily involved in its engagement with the ‘War on Terror’ and with the defence and promotion of human rights values in Parliament, the Courts and wider society.
A Barrister by background, she was called to the Bar in 1994 and
worked as a lawyer in the Home Office from 1996 until 2001 for
Governments of both persuasions. Since becoming Liberty’s Director she has written, spoken and broadcast widely on the importance of the post-WW2 human rights framework as an essential component of democratic society.
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