Shami Chakrabarti - Wikispooks Shami Chakrabarti Liberty Shami Chakrabarti, Baroness Chakrabarti (born 16 June 1969) is a barrister involved in human rights who was appointed Shadow Attorney General by Jeremy Corbyn on 6 October 2016. [1] From September 2003 to March 2016, she was director of Liberty , formerly the National Council for Civil Liberties . [2] When nominated for a peerage in August 2016, she said: “I am honoured to accept Jeremy Corbyn’s challenge and the opportunity to help hold the government to account. This is a dangerous moment for our country and we share vital human rights values that need defending more than ever before in my lifetime.” The Board of Deputies of British Jews were critical of the nomination, saying it compromised the independence of the inquiry that she recently conducted into alleged antisemitism in the Labour party. [3] Contents 4 References Labour Party "antisemitism" On 29 April 2016, Jeremy Corbyn appointed Shami Chakrabarti to chair an inquiry into alleged antisemitism in the Labour Party .

As a party member, Chakrabarti said she was confident her independence would not be compromised. [4] [5] The inquiry followed what Jewish author Norman Finkelstein called a “smear campaign” of “political blackmail”, which was led by right-wing media outlets and pro-Israel commentators in an attempt to undermine the Labour leader and his allies. The aim of the report was to show that Corbyn was serious about cracking down on all forms of racism present in his party. Chakrabarti report On 30 June 2016, Shami Chakrabarti launched her report at what should have been an incredibly positive press conference for party leader Jeremy Corbyn. [6] Instead, the mainstream media seemed to focus its efforts on kicking Corbyn while he was down rather than covering the outcome of the anti-racism report. Unfortunately, says Chakrabarti, the mainstream media’s misleading posts on 30 June “cast a shadow over two months’ really hard, open-hearted work”.

While her report did find some “minority hateful or ignorant attitudes” and some “bitter incivility of discourse”, it also concluded that: "[the] Labour Party is not overrun by anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or other forms of racism." It also said: "Labour members should be free and positively encouraged to criticise injustice and abuse wherever they find it, including in the Middle East… But surely it is better to use the modern universal language of human rights, be it of dispossession, discrimination, segregation, occupation or persecution." Chakrabarti complained on LBC and BBC Radio 4 that the media had been "so quick today to trash our open-hearted work." She defended Jeremy Corbyn’s condemnation of stereotypes aimed at minority religious groups, which had been shamefully manipulated by a media establishment clearly out for blood.

The Labour leader had made it very clear that both antisemitism and Islamophobia were equally unacceptable, insisting: "Our Jewish friends are no more responsible for the actions of Israel or the Netanyahu government than our Muslim friends are for those of various self-styled Islamic states or organisations." As anti-Corbyn figures in politics and the media rushed to condemn this poignant comment as somehow antisemitic, which it clearly wasn’t, Chakrabarti said: "I am a little heart-sore with the misrepresentation of those remarks about Israel… I’m really, really disappointed with the people that have spun that." Chakrabarti finished her interview with LBC radio by praising Corbyn’s Labour party for giving her the independence to undertake such a valuable investigation, and made a very clear comparison with other parties, asking: "Where is the inquiry in either UKIP or the Conservative Party into holocaust metaphors that have been used in the referendum campaign?" [7] Walkout by Ruth Smeeth Another issue ‘spun’ by the media was the walkout at the inquiry’s press conference of Ruth Smeeth , the Stoke-on-Trent North MP who previously worked as Director of Public Affairs and Campaigns at the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM

) – a pro-Israel lobby group with historically close ties to Labour party right wingers.

Smeeth, who The Electronic Intifada has called an “Israel lobby spin doctor”, claimed she had left the press conference abruptly because an activist had “used traditional anti-Semitic slurs to attack me for being part of a ‘media conspiracy'.” [8] Momentum activist In reality, neither the Jewish faith nor talk of a conspiracy were mentioned. The activist in question – Momentum Black Connexions (MBC) media officer and the-latest.com editor Marc Wadsworth – actually said: "I saw that the Telegraph handed a copy of a press release to Ruth Smeeth MP, so you can see who’s working hand in hand." The only obvious suggestion here was of alleged collusion between the Telegraph and Smeeth herself – who Wadsworth later claimed he didn’t even know was Jewish. But voices in the mainstream media desperate to smear Jeremy Corbyn and anyone vaguely supportive of him jumped all over Smeeth’s comments about possible antisemitism.

The-latest.com soon slammed the UK’s media establishment for the ensuing slander against Wadsworth, calling it “a Fleet Street concocted firestorm.” Chakrabarti also steered away from labelling Wadsworth – an anti-racism activist and self-proclaimed “ally of the Jewish people” – an antisemite . She did claim, however, to have been “disappointed” by the comment directed at Smeeth, and insisted that it had done Labour and the cause of anti-racism “no favours”. [9] Criticism of Prevent In 2009 she termed the UK government's Prevent strategy aimed at preventing Muslims from being lured into violent extremism "as the biggest spying programme in Britain ... and an affront to civil liberties". [10] Connections Chakrabarti is an alumna of the British-American Project , [11] and a governor of the Ditchley Foundation [12] [13] In September 2014, Shami Chakrabarti took up the role as Chancellor of Essex University but resigned in October 2016 upon her appointment to Labour's Shadow Cabinet.

[14] References Chakrabarti: librarians and information professionals can help improve constitutional and human rights awareness | CILIP Chakrabarti: librarians and information professionals can help improve constitutional and human rights awareness Posted on 6 July 2015 Chakrabarti: librarians and information professionals can help improve constitutional and human rights awareness Human rights campaigner, author and Liberty director, Shami Chakrabarti urged librarians and information professionals to support people’s understanding of their human rights as she addressed nearly 600 members of the national and international library and information community in a keynote speech at the CILIP Conference 2015. Speaking on the second day of the UK’s biggest gathering of the professions at St. George’s Hall Liverpool on July 3rd, Chakrabarti said: “We cannot let citizens’ rights to equality, dignity and fairness be given away by governments. Many people have not even seen the Human Rights Act so they don’t know what we’ve got to lose.

Librarians and information professionals can play a special role in helping people to understand their human rights; and libraries offer a safe civic space for people to hear about and take part in much-needed political discourse.” Chakrabarti was among a high profile line-up of keynotes including respected US scholar, professor and author R. David Lankes, science fiction author, journalist and activist Cory Doctorow, and Guardian columnist Erwin James. Focusing on future information opportunities and challenges, the conference brought together skilled library, knowledge and information professionals working across all sectors. The importance of information and of a skilled workforce to fully understand and manage information were highlighted by Merseyside-born President of CILIP, Jan Parry, who formed part of the Secretariat to the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2009, where she led and planned the Panel disclosure of information at Liverpool Cathedral. The conference was an opportunity to explore the Ideas Box,a major new innovation designed to enable access to vital information and culture to helpindividuals and communities rebuild themselves in humanitarian crises.

Pioneered by Bibliothèques Sans Frontières/Libraries Without Borders, the durable, portable library in a box is deployed to refugee camps and other remote or vulnerable populations in need anywhere in the world and set up in under an hour. Organised by CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the conference took place at St. George’s Hall Liverpool from July 2-3. -Ends- Profile - Experts - Research and expertise - Home Research and expertise Professor of Human Rights Law civil liberties ; human rights ; law ; terrorism Research summary > [Click to expand] Current research interests include into terrorism, human rights and civil liberties. Research grants since 2001 have been from the ESRC for research into British attitudes to civil liberties and terrorism and for a seminar series on the role of civil society in the context of national security. In 2014 Professor Gearty was appointed principal investigator for an ESRC impact acceleration grant, made to the Institute of Public Affairs on behalf of LSE. As Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, he was responsible for the successful running of the centre. Collaborative events have been with the Centre for Civil Society, the Gender Institute and the European Institute.

Conor is also a barrister and is a founder member of Matrix chambers from where he continues to practice. He has been a frequent adviser to judges, practitioners and public authorities on the implications of the UK Human Rights Act, and has frequently lectured at home and abroad on the topic of human rights. He has appeared in human rights cases in the House of Lords, the Court of Appeal and the High Court. Sectors and industries to which research relates: Law; Public Administration Countries and regions to which research relates: Ireland; UK; member states of the Council of Europe Media experience: Has written for mainstream press; Radio; TV Contact Points Publications 2016 Gearty, Conor (2016) The Human Rights Act should not be repealed LSE Law: policy briefing papers, 16/2016. LSE Law, London, UK. Gearty, Conor (2016) Neo-democracy: ‘useful idiot’ of neo-liberalism? British Journal of Criminology, 56 (6). 1087-1106.

ISSN 0007-0955 2015 Gearty, Conor (2015) The state of freedom in Europe European Law Journal, 21 (6). 706-721. ISSN 1351-5993 2014 Douzinas, Costas and Gearty, Conor, eds (2014) The meanings of rights : the philosophy and social theory of human rights Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. ISBN 9781107679597 2013 Gearty, Conor (2013) Liberty and security Polity. ISBN 9780745647180 2012 Simpson, Gerry (2012) Atrocity, law, humanity In: Gearty, Conor and Douzinas, Costas, (eds.) Cambridge Companion to Human Rights Law. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 114-133.

ISBN 9781107602359 Gearty, Conor and Blog Admin, Impact of Social Sciences, (2012) Five minutes with Conor Gearty: “It is very frustrating that my online project The Rights’ Future counts for nothing in my professional life. It is not teaching; it is not scholarly research; and it does not have impact” Impact of Social Sciences Blog (27 Jan 2012) Blog entry Gearty, Conor and Phillips, John (2012) Human Rights Act and business: friend or foe? Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly, 2012 (4). 493. ISSN 0306-2945 Gearty, Conor and Douzinas, Costas, eds (2012) The Cambridge companion to human rights law Cambridge companions to law. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

ISBN 9781107602359 2011 Gearty, Conor (2011) Beyond the Human Rights Act In: Campbell, Tom and Ewing, Keith and Tomkins, Adam, (eds.) The Legal Protection of Human Rights: Sceptical Essays. Oxford University Press, 472-486. ISBN 9780199606078 Gearty, Conor (2011) Doing human rights: three lessons from the field In: Gilbert, Geoff and Hampson, Francoise and Sandoval, Clara, (eds.) Strategic Visions for Human Rights: Essays in Honour of Professor Kevin Boyle. Routledge, London, UK, 52-66. ISBN 9780415579889 Gearty, Conor (2011) Once upon a country: a Palestinian life Denning Law Journal, 23 (1). 239-241.

ISSN 0269-1922 2010 Gearty, Conor (2010) Liberal in name only British Politics and Policy at LSE (18 Jul 2010) Blog entry Gearty, Conor (2010) Do human rights help or hinder environmental protection? Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, 1 (1). 7-22. ISSN 1759-7188 Gearty, Conor and Mantouvalou, Virginia (2010) Debating social rights Debating law. Hart Publishing, Oxford, UK. ISBN 9781849460231 Gearty, Conor (2010) Escaping Hobbes: liberty and security for our democratic (not anti-terrorist) age LSE law, society and economy working papers, 03-2010 . Department of Law, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. 2009 Gearty, Conor (2008) Essays on human rights and terrorism: comparative approaches to civil liberties in Asia, the EU and North America Cameron May, London, UK.

ISBN 9781905017584 Gearty, Conor (2008) Situating international human rights law in an age of counter-terrorism In: Barnard, Catherine, (ed.) The Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies 2007-2008. Cambridge yearbook of European legal studies (10). Hart Publishing, Oxford, UK, 167-188. ISBN 9781841138374 Gearty, Conor (2008) Human rights, civil society and the challenge of terrorism Seminar report, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. 2007 Gearty, Conor (2007) Civil liberties Clarendon law series. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 9780199283002 Gearty, Conor (2007) Rethinking civil liberties in a counter-terrorism world European Human Rights Law Review (2). 111-119.

ISSN 1361-1526 Gearty, Conor (2007) Rethinking civil liberties in a counter-terrorism world In: Deane, Seamus and Mac Suibhne, Breandán, (eds.) Field Day Review. Field Day Books, Dublin, Eire, 125-136. ISBN 9780946755332 Gearty, Conor (2007) The Blair Report Index on Censorship, 36 (2). 49-55. ISSN 0306-4220 Downes, David and Rock, Paul and Chinkin, Christine and Gearty, Conor, eds (2007) Crime, social control and human rights: from moral panics to states of denial Willan Publishing, Cullompton, UK.

ISBN 9781843922285 Johnson, Mark and Gearty, Conor (2007) Civil liberties and the challenge of terrorism In: Park, Alison and Curtice, John and Thomson, Katarina and Phillips, Miranda and Johnson, Mark, (eds.) British Social Attitudes: the 23rd Report: Perspectives on a Changing Society. British social attitudes survey series (23). Sage Publications, London, UK, 143-182. ISBN 9781412934329 Economides, Kim and Twining, William and Phillipson, Gavin and Chakrabati, Shami and Gearty, Conor (2007) Can human rights survive?: a symposium on the 2005 Hamlyn lectures Public Law (Summer). 209-232. ISSN 0033-3565 Gearty, Conor (2007) Terrorism and human rights Government and Opposition, 42 (3). 340-362.

ISSN 1477-7053 Gearty, Conor (2007) Reconfiguring security Renewal: a Journal of Social Democracy, 15 (2/3). 105-109. ISSN 0968-252X Gearty, Conor (2007) Dilemmas of terror Prospect (27 Oct 2007) 34-38 2006 Gearty, Conor (2006) Can human rights survive? Hamlyn lectures. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. ISBN 9780521685528 Gearty, Conor (2006) Uncommon decency New Humanist, 121 (1). 24-26. ISSN 0306-512X 2005 Gearty, Conor (2005) Short cuts London Review of Books, 27 (6). ISSN 0260-9592 Gearty, Conor (2005) Human rights in an age of counter-terrorism: injurious, irrelevant or indispensable?

Current Legal Problems, 58 (1). 25-46. ISSN 0070-1998 Gearty, Conor (2005) Keeping it honest: the role of the laity in a clerical church In: Filochowski, Julian and Stanford, Peter, (eds.) Opening Up: Speaking Out in the Church. Darton, Longman and Todd, London, UK, 257-266. ISBN 9780232526240 Gearty, Conor (2005) Terrorism and human rights European Human Rights Law Review (1). 1-6. ISSN 1361-1526 Gearty, Conor (2005) 11 September 2001, counter-terrorism and the Human Rights Act Journal of Law and Society, 32 (1). 18-33. ISSN 0263-323X 2004 Gearty, Conor (2004) The myth of detention The Tablet, Januar.

ISSN 0039-8837 Gearty, Conor (2004) Answering for torture The Tablet, May 13. 6. ISSN 0039-8837 Gearty, Conor (2004) Hutton missed the mark Guardian: G2, Februa. 16-17. ISSN 0261-3077 Gearty, Conor (2004) A supreme act of reform The Tablet, March . 10-11. ISSN 0039-8837 Gearty, Conor (2004) The price of justice The Tablet, June 1. 10-11. ISSN 0039-8837 Gearty, Conor (2004) A misreading of the law London Review of Books, 26 (4). 3-7. ISSN 0260-9592 Gearty, Conor (2004) The right cause but the wrong battle The Tablet, April . 4-5.

ISSN 0039-8837 Gearty, Conor (2004) Human rights In: Kuper, Adam and Kuper, Jessica, (eds.) The Social Science Encyclopedia. Routledge, London, 468-472. ISBN 9780415320962 Gearty, Conor (2004) The Casement treason trial in its legal context In: Daly, Mary E., (ed.) Roger Casement in Irish and World History. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, Eire, 151-161. ISBN 9781904890041 Gearty, Conor (2004) Terrorism and morality In: Mileham, Patrick, (ed.) War and Morality: Proceedings of a RUSI Conference: ’Morality in Asymmetric War and Intervention Operations’ Held on 19-20 Septe. Whitehall paper series (61). Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, London, UK, 19-27.

ISBN 9780855161866 Gearty, Conor (2004) The holism of human rights: linking religion, ethics and public life European Human Rights Law Review (6). 605-609. ISSN 1361-1526 2003 Gearty, Conor (2003) Don't destroy our schools The Tablet, May 10. ISSN 0039-8837 Gearty, Conor (2003) How did Blair get here? London Review of Books, 25 (4). 7-8. ISSN 0260-9592 Gearty, Conor (2003) Terror, human rights and civil liberties: authoritarian answers World Today, 59 (8/9). 4-6. ISSN 0043-9134 Gearty, Conor (2003) Civil liberties and human rights In: Bamforth, Nicholas and Leyland, Peter, (eds.) Public Law in a Multi-Layered Constitution. Hart Publishing, Oxford, UK, 371-390.

ISBN 9781841132822 Gearty, Conor (2003) Reflections on civil liberties in an age of counter-terrorism Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 41. 185-210. ISSN 0030-6185 Gearty, Conor (2003) Terrorism and morality European Human Rights Law Review (4). 377-383. ISSN 1361-1526 2002 Gearty, Conor (2002) Cry freedom Guardian: G2, Decemb. 8-9. ISSN 0261-3077 Gearty, Conor (2002) How we declare war London Review of Books, 24 (19). 25-28. ISSN 0260-9592 Gearty, Conor and Oberleitner, Gerd (2002) Civil rights sacrificed on the altar of security Times Higher Education Supplement, Decemb. 22.

ISSN 0049-3929 Gearty, Conor (2002) The Human Rights Act and the criminal law: an overview of the early case-law In: Boyle, Alan and Himsworth, Chris and Loux, Andrea and MacQueen, Hector, (eds.) Human Rights and Scots Law: Comparative Perspectives on the Incorporation of the Echr. Hart Publishing, Oxford, UK, 293-306. ISBN 9781841130446 Gearty, Conor (2002) Reconciling Parliamentary democracy and human rights Law Quarterly Review, 118 (Apr). 248-269. ISSN 0023-933X 2001 Gearty, Conor (2001) Airy-fairy London Review of Books, 23 (23). ISSN 0260-9592 Gearty, Conor (2001) What are judges for? London Review of Books, 23 (2).

ISSN 0260-9592 Gearty, Conor (2001) An escalation of reasonableness London Review of Books, 23 (17). ISSN 0260-9592 Mackay, R. D. and Gearty, Conor (2001) On being insane in Jersey - the case of Attorney General v. Jason Prior Criminal Law Review (July). 560-563. ISSN 0111-135X Gearty, Conor (2001) Tort law and the Human Rights Act In: Campbell, Tom and Ewing, Keith and Tomkins, Adam, (eds.) Sceptical Essays on Human Rights. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 243-260. ISBN 9780199246694 Gearty, Conor (2001) Unravelling Osman Modern Law Review, 64 (2). 159-190.

ISSN 0026-7961 2000 Gearty, Conor and Davies, Stephen (2000) Insolvency practice and the Human Rights Act 1998 Jordan, Bristol, UK. ISBN 9780853086956 Gearty, Conor (2000) The Human Rights Act: an overview In: Ewing, Keith, (ed.) Human Rights at Work. Institute of Employment Rights, London, UK, 1-23. ISBN 9781873271810 Gearty, Conor (2000) Democracy and human rights in the European Court of Human Rights: a critical appraisal Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 51 (3). 381-396. ISSN 0029-3105 Gearty, Conor (2000) Constitutional and human rights law In: Hayton, David J., (ed.) Law's Future(S): British Legal Developments in the 21st Century. Hart Publishing, Oxford, UK, 53-70.

ISBN 9781841131009 Hutton, Will and Binmore, K and Gearty, Conor and Parsons, S and Struthers, J and Weir, S and Thornton, S (2000) New life for health: the commission on the NHS Vintage, London, UK. ISBN 9780099285755 Ewing, Keith and Gearty, Conor (2000) The struggle for civil liberties: political freedom and the rule of law in Britain, 1914-1945 Oxford University Press, New York, USA. ISBN 9780198256656 1999 Gearty, Conor (1999) Finding an enemy London Review of Books, 21 (8). ISSN 0260-9592 Gearty, Conor (1999) Northern Ireland In: Clarke, Michael, (ed.) Brassey's Defence Yearbook 1999. Brassey's.

ISBN 9781857532975 Gearty, Conor (1999) The Human Rights Act 1998 and the role of the Strasbourg organs: some preliminary reflections In: Anderson, Gavin W., (ed.) Rights and Democracy: Essays in Uk-Canadian Constitutionalism. Law in its social setting. Blackstone Press, London, UK, 169-192. ISBN 9781854317056 1998 Gearty, Conor, ed (1997) European civil liberties and the European Convention on Human Rights: a comparative study International studies in human rights, vol. 4. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, The Netherlands. ISBN 9789041102539 Gearty, Conor and Ewing, Keith (1997) Rocky foundations for Labour's new rights European Human Rights Law Review (2). 146-151.

ISSN 1361-1526 1996 Gearty, Conor and Tomkins, Adam, eds (1996) Understanding human rights Mansell Publishing Limited, London, UK. ISBN 9780720122954 Gearty, Conor, ed (1996) Terrorism International library of criminology, criminal justice and penology. Ashgate Dartmouth, Aldershot, UK. ISBN 9781855215481 1995 Gearty, Conor and Kimbell, J. A. (1995) Terrorism and the rule of law Civil Liberties Research Unit, King's College, London, UK. ISBN 9781899849000 1994 Gearty, Conor and Ewing, Keith (1994) Democracy or a bill of rights The Society, London. Gearty, Conor (1994) Political violence and civil liberties In: McCrudden, Christopher and Chambers, Gerald, (eds.) Individual Rights and the Law in Britain.

Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, 145-178. ISBN 9780198257417 Gearty, Conor (1994) Freedom of assembly and public order In: McCrudden, Christopher and Chambers, Gerald, (eds.) Individual Rights and the Law in Britain. Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, 39-68. ISBN 9780198257417 Ewing, Keith and Gearty, Conor and Hepple, B. A., eds (1994) Human rights and labour law: essays for Paul O'Higgins Studies in labour and social law. Mansell, New York, USA. ISBN 9780720121483 Gearty, Conor (1994) The cost of human rights: English judges and the Northern Irish troubles Current Legal Problems, 47 (2). 19-40. ISSN 0070-1998 1993 Gearty, Conor (1993) Citizenship and freedom of expression In: Blackburn, Robert, (ed.) Rights of Citizenship.

Citizenship and the law series. Mansell, London, UK, 271-294. ISBN 9780720121247 1992 Gearty, Conor (1992) The politics of abortion Journal of Law and Society, 19 (4). 441-453. ISSN 0263-323X Gearty, Conor (1992) The paradox of United States democracy University of Richmond Law Review, 26 (2). 259-279. ISSN 0566-2389 1991 Terror laws attack all our rights Terror laws attack all our rights New Labour is using fear of terrorism to pile up more repressive laws. Published Sat 6 Dec 2003 Issue No. 1880 'OUR DEMOCRACY and civil liberties could be in danger.' That verdict on New Labour's proposed Civil Contingencies Bill is not from some left wing group or human rights organisation. It came last week from a committee of MPs chaired by New Labour's former defence minister Lewis Moonie.

The government outlined plans for new emergency powers laws in last week's Queen's Speech, and has published a draft bill. Lewis Moonie warns that the bill 'could be used to undermine or remove legislation underpinning the British constitution and infringe human rights'. The Guardian agreed, warning that the proposed bill is 'the greatest threat to civil liberty that any parliament is likely to consider'. It is a far cry from the hope and promise when Labour was elected back in 1997. Then there was talk of ending the near two decade long assault on democratic rights and civil liberties under Tory governments. But the New Labour government has turned towards authoritarianism in every field, and sought ever greater curbs on liberty. The government claims new laws are needed to meet the threat of terrorism, for which existing powers are not adequate. In fact the government and police already have enormous powers. And every previous emergency powers law has been used primarily against workers, trade unionists and those who protest against government policy. The new bill gives the government wide-ranging powers to declare a state of emergency and to suspend all normal democratic rights. It allows the government to bypass even normal parliamentary scrutiny and simply declare such an emergency.

It can set up Local Resilience Forums, based on police force areas, under no democratic control at all. These would have the power to 'require' people to follow instructions or supply information in the event of a 'civil emergency'. These orders can include a ban on any assembly, including peaceful ones. Anyone defying such orders is guilty of a criminal offence. They can be jailed for up to three months by special tribunals set up under the state of emergency. The definition of a state of emergency is horrifyingly wide. It is 'any event or situation [which] presents a threat to political, administrative or economic stability'. And this is anything which 'causes or may cause disruption to: (a) the activities of Her Majesty's Government; (b) the performance of public functions; (c) the activities of banks or other financial institutions.' As Shami Chakrabati, director of the Liberty civil liberties organisation says, 'It is quite possible this measure could be used to suppress or curb any demonstration or protest.' Innocent rounded up and imprisoned HOME SECRETARY David Blunkett appointed himself judge and jury in the case of the man arrested last week in Gloucester under anti-terrorism laws.

Blunkett commented that the man was 'a very real threat to the life and liberty of our country'. Most of the media piled in, publishing full details of the man arrested. But Blunkett's remarks have led to an investigation into whether they are a contempt of court by the New Labour appointed Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith. The chairman of the lawyers' Bar Council, Matthias Kelly, warned that Blunkett's comments could mean 'a fair trial is not possible'. The police operation in Gloucester has outraged many local people. It has created a feeling among local Muslims of being under siege. This was expressed at an angry meeting in Gloucester on Monday evening. The police also arrested a man in Manchester and another in Birmingham under anti-terrorism laws on the same day. There has been little publicity about the fact that police have since released both men without any charges at all. When the 1974 Prevention of Terrorism Act was introduced it was supposedly aimed at combating an IRA bombing campaign. It was used to persecute anyone of Irish origin. In the first three months three people were charged under the act. Two then had all charges against them dropped. Some 489 people were arrested and detained at police stations under the act during this time.

Only 16 were ever charged with any offence at all. New Labour's Terrorism, Crime and Security Act of 2001, which built on their Terrorism Act of 2000, was a supposed response to the 11 September attacks in New York. The 2001 law gives the government powers to lock away anyone with a non-British passport indefinitely without trial. At least 300 people have been arrested in Britain since this law came into force. Only three of them have ever been convicted of any offence-not for terrorism, but membership of a banned organisation. Nine Algerian men were arrested in December 2002 amid claims that they were planning a terrorist attack in Britain with the ricin poison. Blair declared, 'What these arrests and the finding [of ricin] show is the need for us to be vigilant.' No ricin was ever found. All the men were later quietly released. All criminal charges were eventually dropped. One of those arrested, Hocine Ouldzauche, explained, 'The police told me that I was top of a British intelligence list of terror suspects. I'm a Muslim and I totally oppose terrorism.

It was racism and discrimination aimed at Muslims to back the war in Iraq. I was pulled because I was Algerian.' At least 16 people are being held without charge, some for two years, in high security British jails under anti-terror laws, according to Liberty. No one knows how many more are being held as lawyers have been refused that information on the grounds of 'national security'. Justice was hijacked ALGERIAN PILOT Lotfi Raissi was accused of training the 11 September hijackers, and was arrested under the new terrorism laws in Britain. He was entirely innocent, and eventually all charges were dropped. He had spent five months in jail. The 'evidence' against him was that he had not told the whole truth about an old injury when applying for a pilot's licence. That, and his name and origin, were enough to land him in jail under laws supposedly aimed at terrorism. Fact file Powers used to hit strikes THE PROPOSED new bill is an extension of existing powers, enshrined in the 1920 Emergency Powers Act and the 1948 Civil Defence Act, and amendments to these.

During the First World War the government imposed a Defence of the Realm Act, giving it huge powers to effectively ban strikes and throw people in jail. It wanted to keep these powers after the war. So in 1920 it rushed through an Emergency Powers Act. That allowed it to 'assume such powers and duties as Her Majesty may deem necessary' to 'restore order and maintain supplies' or 'for any other purposes'. But New Labour doesn't think this catch-all is draconian enough! The Emergency Powers Act has only ever been used against trade unions and striking workers. 1920: Mine owners announced wage cuts and locked out miners to force through those cuts. When several unions threatened a strike in support of the miners, the Liberal prime minister Lloyd George invoked the emergency powers legislation. He declared a state of emergency and sent troops to working class areas. 1926: During the General Strike the state of emergency remained in force for eight months even though the strike itself lasted just nine days. 1948-9: A Labour government invoked emergency powers against striking dockers. 1955: A Tory government again invoked emergency powers, against striking rail workers.

1966: Labour prime minister Harold Wilson used the Emergency Powers Act against the seafarers' strike. At the heart of that strike was a young shop steward from Hull, John Prescott. He is now deputy prime minister in a government pushing for even more repressive powers. 1970s: Heath's Tory government used the laws against strikers. But the tide of resistance swept them from office. Article information David Cameron vows to protect Magna Carta by scrapping Human Rights Act | Daily Mail Online comments David Cameron today insisted his plan to rip up the human rights act was needed to 'safeguard' the legacy of Magna Carta – 800 years after it was first sealed. The Prime Minister, speaking at an event alongside the Queen and other major dignitaries from around to celebrate the famous document, claimed the notion of human rights had been 'distorted and devalued' in recent years. But he faced criticism for raising the issue at the celebration event, also attended by Prince Philip and Prince William.

Scroll down for video David Cameron today insisted his plan to rip up the human rights act was needed to 'safeguard' the legacy of Magna Carta – 800 years after it was first sealed RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Speaking on the site at Runnymede in Surrey where King John was forced to sign up to limits on his power, Mr Cameron said it was his duty to 'restore the reputation' of the charter's values with a new British Bill of Rights. Magna Carta, signed on June 15, 1215, is credited with cementing the idea of the rule of law, that there are limits on executive power, and that there should be guaranteed justice for all – with no imprisonment without trial. The Tories have claimed human rights laws have been widened too far by judges in Europe – making it harder to deport hardened criminals because of their right to a family life. THE OBSTACLES IN CAMERON'S WAY TO A BRITISH BILL OF RIGHTS The Prime Minister is determined to ‘put human rights right’ – but there is still no replacement for Labour’s hated Human Rights Act in sight. JAMES SLACK examines why.

A UNITED OPPOSITION: One of the main reasons the legislation was missing from last month’s Queen’s Speech is that Downing Street cannot be sure it will pass the Commons. Defending the HRA is one of the few issues on which Labour, the SNP, the Liberal Democrats and most other opposition parties are all in agreement – bringing Mr Cameron’s majority of only 12 into sharp focus. He could be defeated by barely a handful of his own backbenchers. His best hope is that he can persuade Northern Ireland’s DUP (which has eight MPs) and Ukip (one) to give him more breathing room. THE TORY REBELS: Despite twice standing on a manifesto commitment to scrap the HRA, there is a vocal rump of Tories opposed to any weakening of human rights, led by ex-leadership candidate David Davis. The group also includes Andrew Mitchell, Ken Clarke, Crispin Blunt and Dominic Grieve – all MPs who were sacked by the PM, who now find themselves potentially holding the balance of power. Mr Cameron might be able to keep them happy by making only cosmetic changes to the HRA.

But this, in turn, would spark a revolt elsewhere in the party from the sizeable number of Tories who want the meaningful change the PM has long promised. STRASBOURG: STAY OR GO? Mr Cameron’s plan is to reduce the European Court of Human Rights to a mere advisory role, with the final say resting with Britain’s Supreme Court. The question is what does he do if Strasbourg will not agree to playing second fiddle? Leaving the court altogether would be unacceptable to the David Davis group. Mr Cameron has already changed his mind twice on whether to threaten to quit. THE HOUSE OF LORDS: The Tories do not have a majority in the upper chamber, which is stuffed with lawyers who view the HRA as sacrosanct. Convention dictates that, because scrapping the Act was included in the Tory manifesto, peers should ultimately let it through. However, the manifesto stopped short of a commitment to leave the European Court altogether so if the Tories went down this path, they could face huge problems. At the very least, the Lords will delay the legislation with a string of amendments. DEVOLUTION: Human rights is a partly devolved matter, with Scotland having its own Human Rights Commission.

The SNP claim that if Westminster revokes the HRA it will be in breach of the so-called Sewel Convention. The convention states that Westminster will ‘not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters in Scotland without the consent of the Scottish Parliament’. The convention also applies in Wales and Northern Ireland. Separately, the Good Friday Agreement also invokes human rights law. CONCLUSION: Justice Secretary Michael Gove and his junior minister, Dominic Raab, have two of the biggest brains in Whitehall and will be confident of dealing with the technical objections of the legal establishment on the likes of devolution. When it comes to the political battle, Mr Cameron’s best hope is to face down his critics – particularly in his own party – at the earliest opportunity. The human rights lobby is already winning the propaganda war, by painting the Tories as a party in disarray. They are well-organised, well-funded and will only get stronger. Mr Cameron has pledged to replace Labour's human rights act with a British Bill of Rights, affirming the supremacy of UK courts over those in Europe. Speaking today, the Prime Minister said: 'It falls to us in this generation to restore the reputation of those rights - and their critical underpinning of our legal system.

'It is our duty to safeguard the legacy, the idea, the momentous achievement of those barons. And there couldn't be a better time to reaffirm that commitment than on an anniversary like this. 'So on this historic day, let's pledge to keep those principles alight.' The PM, speaking at an event alongside the Queen and other major dignitaries from around to celebrate the famous document, claimed the notion of human rights had been 'distorted and devalued' in recent years Although just three of its clauses remain law in the UK, Magna Carta set a precedent which saw it influence later works domestically and abroad, including the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the post-Second World War UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Prince William sits in a specially created Magna Carta chair in Runnymede to mark 800 years since the historic document was signed Mr Cameron said Magna Carta had been 'revolutionary - altering forever the balance of power between the governed and the government'.

Down the years it had inspired the fighters in the English Civil War, the Chartists, the Suffragettes, the founders of the first American states, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and 'anyone challenging injustice or checking arbitrary power', he said. He said: 'Magna Carta takes on further relevance today. For centuries, it has been quoted to help promote human rights and alleviate suffering all around the world. 'But here in Britain, ironically - the place where those ideas were first set out - the good name of 'human rights' has sometimes become distorted and devalued.' But Mr Cameron came under attack from civil liberties campaigners for raising the issue of replacing the Human Rights Act on the Magna Carta anniversary. Shami Chakrabati, the director of Liberty, accused the Prime Minister of giving ‘a masterclass in bare-faced cheek using Magna Carta day to denigrate our Human Rights Act’.

She added: ‘We will take no lessons in rights and freedoms from a leader who wants to dilute them to the detriment of everyone in the UK and wider watching world.’ And Lord Falconer, Labour’s justice spokesman, said: ‘If the Prime Minister was serious about safeguarding the legacy of Magna Carta, then he wouldn’t be using its anniversary to attack fundamental rights.’ Just four known copies of the original Magna Carta (Great Charter) exist today, from an estimated 13 that were made. Magna Carta, signed on June 15, 1215, is credited with cementing the idea of the rule of law, that there are limits on executive power, and that there should be guaranteed justice for all – with no imprisonment without trial Cameron was attacked for raising the issue of a new British Bill of Rights at the Magna Carta celebrations, with LIberty director Shami Chakrabati accusing him of giving ‘a masterclass in bare-faced cheek' Two are held by the British Library, with Salisbury Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral holding the others. They are written in Latin on sheepskin.

Urging everyone in Britain to take pride in Magna Carta, Mr Cameron went on to say: 'Its remaining copies may be faded, but its principles shine as brightly as ever in every courtroom and every classroom from palace to Parliament to parish church. 'Liberty, justice, democracy, the rule of law - we hold these things dear and we should hold them even dearer for the fact that they took shape right here, on the banks of the Thames. 'So on this historic day, let's pledge to keep those principles alight. Let's keep Magna Carta alive. 'Because as those barons showed, all those years ago, what we do today will shape the world for many, many years to come.' The Queen did not give a speech but wrote a foreword to the official programme for the celebration, in her role as patron of the Magna Carta Trust. She said: 'The story of the British Monarchy is intertwined with that of Runnymede and Magna Carta.' She added: 'The values of Magna Carta were not just important to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, but across the world.

Its principles are significant and enduring.' Among the guests was US Attorney General Loretta Lynch who a few weeks ago was the public face of America's corruption case against Fifa officials. She said: 'This social contract between a monarch and his people codified, however imperfectly, notions that would one day stand at the heart of our own system of justice. The idea that no power is unconditional and no rule is absolute.' Ms Lynch added: 'For those that drafted the US Constitution, the significance of Magna Carta was clear - it's influence helped shape a political system that enshrines separation of powers, due process and the rule of law.' TEN REASONS WHY CAMERON WANTS TO SCRAP THE HUMAN RIGHTS ACT Here JAMES SLACK reveals 10 reasons why the Prime Minister is so intent on scrapping the human rights act: 1) No single decision based on the European Convention on Human Rights – enshrined in British law by the Human Rights Act – sparked more horror than Strasbourg’s 2006 finding that axe-killer John Hirst and thousands of other convicts should be entitled to vote in UK elections.

Ministers have since fought an ongoing battle to avoid implementing the judgment – which David Cameron says makes him feel physically sick. Al Qaeda fanatic Abu Qatada was awarded £2,500 for being ‘unlawfully detained’, after being held indefinitely without trial following September 11 2) Al Qaeda fanatic Abu Qatada was awarded £2,500 for being ‘unlawfully detained’, after being held indefinitely without trial following September 11. Then the Euro court said he should not be sent back to Jordan in case some of the evidence used against him may have come from torture. Qatada eventually left his benefits-funded life in north-west London voluntarily after Theresa May doggedly pursued him. 3) Aso Mohammed Ibrahim left 12-year-old Amy Houston to die ‘like a dog’ under the wheels of his car after knocking her down in 2003 while disqualified from driving. Twice refused asylum, the Iraqi was never removed from the country by the Home Office and then, after the killing, was allowed to stay under the Human Rights Act because he had fathered two children in Britain, which judges ruled gave him a right to a ‘family life’.

Aso Mohammed Ibrahim (left and right), 33, an Iraqi Kurd, left 12-year-old Amy Houston dying under the wheels of his car while banned from driving. Twice refused asylum, he was allowed to stay under the Human Rights Act because he had fathered two children in Britain, giving him a right to a ‘family life’ 4) A Libyan convicted of 78 offences escaped deportation last month on the grounds he is an alcoholic. The 53-year-old man, who is protected by an anonymity order, successfully argued he would be tortured and imprisoned by the authorities in his homeland because drinking alcohol is illegal. He is now free to continue his drink-fuelled offending spree in Britain. 5) In December 2013, Mustafa Abdullahi, who held a knife to a pregnant woman’s throat as he raped her, was given permission to stay in Britain, because of his family rights. The 31-year-old failed asylum seeker was jailed for ten years after he threatened to kill his victim and repeatedly assaulted her. Judges said sending him back to Somalia would breach his family rights because his mother and other relatives live in the UK.

6) Rupert Massey is one of many criminals to view the convention as a tool for lining his pockets. Jailed for six years for sexually abusing three boys, he claimed the four years it took to bring him to court had left him ‘stressed’ and infringed his right to a fair trial. He was awarded nearly £6,000 – the same amount in compensation given to one of his victims. William Danga, who raped and molested two girls while fighting deportation, used Article 8 of the HRA to remain in this country. The Congolese asylum seeker was jailed for ten years for raping a 16-year-old. He used his children to stay in Britain and attacked two other children after his release from prison 7) Rapist Akindoyin Akinshipe escaped deportation in September 2011 after judges said he had a right to a ‘private life’ in the UK. He was due to be sent to Nigeria after losing a series of appeals in Britain over his jailing for an attack on a girl of 13 when he was 15. But Strasbourg overruled, despite him not having a long-term partner or children in the UK.

8) George Blake was jailed for 42 years, one for each of the MI6 agents he sent to their deaths. The Soviet spy escaped from Wormwood Scrubs and wrote his memoirs in Russia. Incredibly, he was given £4,700 by Strasbourg in 2006 because Britain breached his right to free expression by trying to stop him making money from the book. 9) William Danga, who raped and molested two girls while fighting deportation, used Article 8 of the HRA to remain in this country. The Congolese asylum seeker was jailed for ten years for raping a 16-year-old. He used his children to stay in Britain and attacked two other children after his release from prison. 10) There remains public outrage that Euro judges ruled three IRA terrorists shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1988 were wrongly killed. This was despite the fact the trio were an experienced hit squad with long terror records who had left a car filled with explosives across the border in Spain. The SAS soldiers believed they were ready to detonate the bomb, but it turned out their mission was reconnaissance.

Cardiff Met News Cardiff Met honours leading figures with Honorary Fellowships and Doctorates Video Caption Page Content ​​Leading Human Rights advocate Shami Chakrabarti CBE and esteemed BBC broadcaster Jeremy Bowen are two of those being honoured by Cardiff Metropolitan University at its annual degree ceremonies this week. Several sporting names, business leaders, legal experts and the Archbishop of Wales are amongst the eminent individuals to be honoured. They include influential businessman Robert John; Olympian and Cardiff Met alumnus Lynn Davies CBE; The Most Reverend Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales; former Wales fly half and Chair of the Welsh Rugby Union Board, Gareth Davies and Lord Chief Justice Lord John Thomas, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd in the County of Powys. ​​BBC Middle East correspondent Jeremy Bowen, who will be awarded an Honorary Fellowship, has been named Best News Correspondent at the New York Television Festival twice and presented BBC One’s ‘Breakfast’ programme. He has also reported from more than 70 countries, predominately in the Middle East and the Balkans. ​Shami Chakrabati CBE, Director of Liberty, is a highly regarded advocate of human rights and will be named Doctor of the University.

After Call to the Bar in 1996 she worked as a lawyer in the Home Office until becoming In-House Counsel for Liberty in 2011. Shami has been called ‘the most effective public affairs lobbyist of the past 20 years’ by The Times newspaper and was one of six Assessors who assisted with the recent Leveson Enquiry. The Fellowships and Doctorates will be awarded during the University’s Summer Degree and Award ceremonies, beginning on July 14th. Approximately 2,900 students will graduate this year. An Honorary Fellowship or Honorary Doctorate is one of the highest honours that the University can bestow, and is awarded to those who have brought great distinction to the University or to the region. Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Vice-Chancellor & Principal, Professor Antony J Chapman, said: “The University awards Honorary Fellowships and Doctorates as an indication of respect to persons who have given outstanding and distinguished service to the University or the community at large.

The University is delighted to be conferring Honorary Fellowships and Doctorates this July on another seven illustrious recipients.” Others to be honoured include:​ ​​ Gareth Davies – Doctor of Sport A former Wales fly half who earned 21 caps, Gareth Davies captained Wales five times, winning the Triple Crown, and toured with the British and Irish Lions to South Africa in 1980 before retiring from the game in 1981. Gareth has held senior executive positions with CBI Wales, BBC Wales, Cardiff RFC, S4C, Sports Council for Wales, Royal Mail, the Welsh Development Agency (heading the Sydney office) and Leeds Metropolitan University. He is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Welsh Rugby Union and of Millennium Stadium plc. ​​Lynn Davies CBE – Doctor of Sport In 1964 this already successful track and field athlete won Gold in the long jump at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and thus became ‘Lynn the Leap’. Lynn went on to win Gold at the 1966 European Championships and won two more Golds at the Commonwealth Games, becoming the first male athlete to win the long jump title twice.

Lynn Davies has been named BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year twice, in 1992 became an Honorary Fellow of the University, in 2006 was awarded CBE and in 2012 was prominent among the athletes featured on the University’s Olympic Wall. Lynn was for many years a senior lecturer in the Cardiff School of Sport and is currently in his second term as President of UK Athletics ​​Robert John – Honorary Fellow Robert John has had a career of over 40 years in investment banking and property and for seven years was Chair of Wales in London. Called to the Bar in 1972 he worked as an investment banker for 14 years before joining Olympia & York, developers of Canary Wharf, as Deputy Chief Executive and in 1992 joined KPMG as partner before returning to Canary Wharf as Senior ​Adviser to the Chairman and Chief Executive. Though the main focus of his work is in London, Robert has involvement with property development in Africa through his advisory role with Actis and holds a similar role with Tidal Lagoon group which is developing the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay.

He is a former non-Executive Director of Wales Millennium Centre and is currently a Board member of Music Theatre Wales ​​The Most Reverend Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales – Doctor of Letters The Archbishop of Wales was ordained as deacon in 1972 and as priest in 1973. Barry Morgan was elected Bishop of Bangor in 1993, translated to the See of Llandaff in 1999 and elected Archbishop of Wales in 2003. He has served on the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and has been vocal in key debates on such matters as Trident and Fundamentalist Atheism. Archbishop Morgan is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Wales and since April 2013 has been Patron of the Welsh Language Wikipedia. ​Lord Chief Justice Lord John Thomas, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd in the County of Powys - Doctor of Letters ​Lord John Thomas has been the Lord Chief Justice since 2013, the culmination of a career in law lasting more than 45 years.

He was called to the Bar in 1969 and became Queen’s Counsel in 1984, Recorder in 1987, appointed to the High Court in 1996 and to the Court of Appeal in 2003. During his career Lord Thomas practised as a member of commercial chambers now known as Essex Court Chambers and was the Department of Trade and Industry inspector at Mirror Group Newspapers. Lord Thomas is one of the founding members of the European Law Institute, a non-profit organisation which aims to enhance European legal integration. For Applicants Shami Chakrabarti: Why David Davis is right - Telegraph Politics Shami Chakrabarti: Why David Davis is right The most dangerous woman in Britain is sipping from a mug of coffee in the basement of a converted shop in Southwark. Shami Chakrabarti doesn’t appear that dangerous - chatty, charming, articulate - but the Sun columnist Jon Gaunt says she is, so it must be true.

By Neil Tweedie 1:31PM BST 15 Jun 2008 Chakrabarti, 39, is director of the human rights group Liberty, which has its home in the little shop, tucked in a backstreet. Some 25 people work there, financed by an annual budget of just £1.2 million donated by well-wishers. Almost five years into the job, she is used to dealing with incoming fire from right-wing commentators, and is, one suspects, a little proud of her place in Murdochian demonology. "The Sun has a perfect right to say that about me if it wants to,” she laughs. "When it comes to freedom of the press, I’m there with them." Her offence is to be one of the most effective opponents of what she sees as an increasingly authoritarian and invasive state. Labour, says Chakrabarti, has played fast and loose with civil liberties over the last decade in its over-muscular response to crime and terrorism. Desperate not to be "out-toughed" on the security issue by the Conservatives, it has devised ever more draconian policies and methods.

Related Articles David Davis stuns Westminster with resignation over 42-day terror law 12 Jun 2008 Compulsory identity cards involving universal fingerprinting, omnipotent CCTV, the inclusion of innocent people’s DNA on the national police database – for Chakrabarti all these represent an assault on ancient freedoms dearly won. In less salubrious countries than Britain, these things would be seen more clearly for what they have the potential to be: the furniture of tyranny. And now there is the government’s attempt to force through its anti-terror bill calling for the detention of suspects without charge for up to 42 days. Chakrabarti is scathing about the low politics used by Gordon Brown’s embattled lieutenants to secure the passage of the bill through the Commons during its second reading last week. Not only the hushed deals in corridors with wavering Labour backbenchers and the Democratic Unionist Party, but the bizarre amendments tacked on to the bill at the last minute. Chakrabarti describes herself as "political with a small p" but one would hardly place her in the category of raging Tory.

So eyes have been raised about her alliance with that pro-hanging former member of the TA SAS - and now former shadow Home Secretary - David Davis. Davis’s decision to quit the shadow cabinet to fight a by-election on the issue of 42 days and the general erosion of civil liberties has astonished Westminster, critics accusing him of embarking on a quixotic ego trip. Chakrabarti, though, is supportive. "There is no question that David Davis is doing this out of principle," she says. "Liberty has been working with him and Dominic Grieve (Davis’s successor as shadow Home Secretary) for quite a few years now. We don’t agree with everything they say – particularly their undervaluing of the Human Rights Act – but it is possible for people to really care about rights and freedoms and disagree about how they are to be achieved." Chakrabarti is looking tired. She has had a busy week lobbying against the bill and has found herself being briefed against on both sides of the Commons. Supporters of the government’s position attempted to undermine her credibility with wavering Labour backbenchers by suggesting she was about to be bought off with a life peerage.

Then followed briefings from the Tory side suggesting she had somehow exercised undue influence over Davis during meetings together. She does not dignify this allegation with a response. She prefers to concentrate on the extraordinary lengths the government was prepared to go to in order to make its 42-day proposal palatable to rebellious Labour backbenchers. Defeat in the vote would have represented a near-terminal blow to the authority of the Prime Minister. "The government is saying each application for detention up to six weeks will be debated on the floor of the House of Commons. What on Earth are you going to debate in Parliament? There is either some kind meaningful debate on the merits of a case, and therefore the risk of prejudicing a fair trial, or it’s just a farce. This is constitutional nonsense. It ignores the basic distinction between a judicial system that deals with individual cases and a Parliament that passes the laws of the land." Equally bizarre to her is the last-minute proposal to compensate detainees found to be innocent, possibly at the rate of £3,000 for each day in custody. "In a democracy, you arrest on suspicion, you charge with evidence and you convict on proof.

Even if everyone acts to the best of their ability and in good faith, more people will inevitably be arrested than charged, and more people will be charged than convicted. As long as people are treated with dignity and respect, and due process is followed, there should be no reason to compensate them. By saying people held without charge for up to 42 days should be compensated if no action is taken against them, the government is in effect admitting that it has done something wrong. You don’t compensate unless you act unlawfully." The fight against 42 days now goes to the Lords – and to Davis’s constituency. Brown’s continuation of the authoritarian policies favoured by Tony Blair is a huge disappointment to Chakrabarti, who spent hours in meetings last year trying to persuade him otherwise. "There is this fault-line in the main parties between the authoritarian and libertarian wings. In the last 15 years we have had this great authoritarian arms race, a duel begun my Michael Howard when he was Home Secretary. He challenged his young, ambitious shadow, Tony Blair, to take part in that duel. There were very unpleasant attacks on asylum seekers and the judges.

"Blair responded to it, asked why Labour should be wrong-footed, and said ‘let’s go for it’. So you see these crude authoritarians in both parties, but also the good side: people who are prepared to put tribal loyalties aside for the sake of principle." Chakrabarti could have enjoyed a more lucrative, and private, career than the one she has now. Born in north London in 1969 to Indian parents, she read law at the London School of Economics before studying for the Bar. Six years in the Home Office followed as a legal adviser to ministers and senior civil servants. The job was ideal preparation for Liberty, which she joined the day before 9/11. She was appointed the organisation’s director in 2003. In 1995 she married Martyn Hopper, now a senior solicitor in the City. The couple have a six-year-old son. She has become a staple of the debate circuit, appearing on Question Time and The Moral Maze. Not a complete maverick, she was happy to be made CBE.

It was her father, who had witnessed the horrors of communal violence in India, who warned her to reject the easy, knee-jerk reaction. "I was watching a TV report on the Yorkshire Ripper and was saying how he should be hanged when caught. My father, who was no liberal, was taken aback. "He said to me that no criminal justice system in the world can ever be perfect. Even if only one person in a million is sent to the gallows, you must imagine that that person is you. You must imagine what it would be like to walk to the gallows or towards the electric chair knowing you have done nothing wrong but aware that everyone – even your family, maybe – thinks you guilty. "I’ve told this story a million times but it still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Something clicked in me that day.

I have the same feeling when the Home Secretary says ‘it's okay if we bang a few people up for 42 days – and hey, we can always bung them a few grand if we're wrong'." She has bested the government before – notably in 2004 when the House of Lords backed Liberty's contention that David Blunkett, the then Home Secretary, had violated the Human Rights Act by authorizing the imprisonment of foreign terrorist suspects in Britain without trial. Chakrabarti has been invited to talk with MI5 and the police. Privately, officials tell her that they have no taste for some of the measures proposed in their name, regarding them as counter-productive. "To be fair to the politicians, when something terrible happens – a major terrorist attack – there is an instinctive call for measures to prevent it ever happening again. It is a brave politician who says that he cannot promise to prevent a repetition but that the country must stand together and not allow itself to be frightened into surrendering its freedoms. "Al-Qaeda plays on this concept of us not having strong values.

If you attack democracy and human rights in the search for security from terrorism you actually send the signal that they don't mean very much." And yet, the British seem quite relaxed in kissing goodbye to habeas corpus, a concept enshrined in Magna Carta. Polls have shown the public to be largely in favour of 42 days. "Most people do not vote at general elections on the issues of rights and freedoms and security," explains Chakrabarti. "It's more about taxation and the economy. "It's partly the privilege of living in the oldest unbroken democracy in the world and not having experienced the roughest side of authoritarian government. Sometimes we are too complacent. We think the measures being taken now are okay because we have gentlemen in charge who won't abuse them. Well, what happens when the gentlemen leave?"

Question: Which human rights group appointed Sharmishta (Shami) Chakrabati as director in 2003?
Answer: Liberty