Shami Chakrabarti
Encyclopedia
Shami Chakrabarti CBE
(born 16 June 1969, London
), has been the director of Liberty
, a British
pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University
.
in the London borough of Harrow. Her father Mintoo, was a bookkeeper and Chakrabarti cites his influence in her gaining an interest in civil liberties. She attended Bentley Wood High School
, a girls' comprehensive school, then Harrow Weald Sixth Form College
.
Chakrabarti was an active member of the SDP
before starting her career. After graduating from the London School of Economics
and gaining an LLB
, Chakrabarti qualified as a barrister
in 1994, and worked as a barrister
at the Home Office
from 1996, before joining human rights organisation Liberty on 10 September 2001. She is an alumna of the British-American Project
, which promotes Anglo-American relations.
, such as Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
(ATCSA), and is a prominent opponent of recent counter-terrorism legislation. She is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 4
and to various newspapers on the topic of human rights and civil liberties and was described in The Observer
as making "seemingly endless appearances on Question Time and the rolling news bulletins". She was also described in The Times newspaper as "the most effective public affairs lobbyist of the past 20 years"
In December 2005, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme
ran a poll of listeners to establish "who runs Britain". After many hours of debate involving subject matter experts, Today placed Shami Chakrabarti on the shortlist of ten people who may run Britain.
She was shortlisted in the Channel 4
Political Awards 2006 for the "Most Inspiring Political Figure" award. It was voted for by the public and she came second to Jamie Oliver
, beating Tony Blair, David Cameron
, George Galloway
and Bob Geldof
.
, then British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
, made insinuations in an interview in Progress magazine at Shadow Home Secretary
David Davis
's resignation over the 42-day detention for terror suspects. Davis, a Conservative MP, was said by Burnham to have had "late-night, hand-wringing, heart-melting phone calls with Shami Chakrabarti." Chakrabarti received an apology from Burnham for his "innuendo and attempted character assassination".
and The Daily Telegraph
that police who raided the parliamentary office of the Conservative frontbencher Damian Green
and arrested him as part of an inquiry into the leaking of Home Office documents had searched through e-mails and computer documents going back a number of years using Chakrabarti's name as one of the keywords. The Times reported her as saying that she believed the actions of Scotland Yard's anti-terror squad "raises very serious questions about just how politicised, even McCarthyite, this operation was...”
. She was not part of the meeting which approved the donation but raised concerns with the Council about links with Libya. Howard Davies
, the Director at the time, resigned over the scandal citing 'personal error of judgement' Despite not being part of the meeting which approved the donation, Chakrabarti was publicly criticised by counter-extremism campaigners 'Student Rights' for 'hypocrisy' in not resigning.. 'Student Rights' did not call for anyone else on the board to resign.
; a judicial inquiry into phone hacking in the UK. Other panel members include veteran journalist George Jones
; former Channel 4 News
political editor Elinor Goodman
; former Financial Times
chairman Sir David Bell; former Ofcom
chairman Lord Currie and former West Midlands Police
chief constable Sir Paul Scott-Lee QPM. The Inquiry is being led by Court of Appeal judge Lord Justice Leveson and is expected to report within 12 months. Chakrabarti described her invitation onto the Inquiry as 'a daunting privilege' and said it reflected Liberty's 'belief in an appropriate balance between personal privacy and media freedom and above all in the Rule of law
'. Contrary to some incorrect media reports, Chakrabarti remains in Liberty's employment and neither she nor Liberty are taking any remuneration for her role on the panel.
, South London
.
She is Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University
, a member of the Council and Court of Governors of the London School of Economics
and a governor of the British Film Institute
, a Visiting Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford
and a Master of the Bench of Middle Temple
. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours
.
In 2005, the British band The Dastards recorded a song in Chakrabarti's honour entitled "Shami Chakrabarti".
She was featured on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs
in December 2008 and has appeared on Have I Got News for You
in April 2006 and May 2008. Chakrabarti received an honorary doctorate from the School of Law at University of Southampton
in a graduation ceremony on 21 July 2010.
She also became an honorary graduate of Middlesex University
on the 18th of July 2011.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 16 June 1969, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), has been the director of Liberty
Liberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
.
Early life
Shami Chakrabarti (full name Sharmishta Chakrabarti) was raised by Indian-born Hindu-Bengali parents in the suburb of KentonKenton
-Notable people:* Actress Michele Austin, best known as PC Yvonne Hemmingway in ITV's The Bill, attended Claremont High School in Kenton* Cricketer Denis Compton lived in Kenton* TV exercise instructor Mr Motivator lived in Kenton...
in the London borough of Harrow. Her father Mintoo, was a bookkeeper and Chakrabarti cites his influence in her gaining an interest in civil liberties. She attended Bentley Wood High School
Bentley Wood High School
Bentley Wood High School is a secondary school for girls in Harrow, England.-Admissions:The school is oversubscribed. The school is a Maths and Computing college. It is situated just north of the A410, accessed via Masefield Avenue. To the north is Bentley Wood Nature Reserve...
, a girls' comprehensive school, then Harrow Weald Sixth Form College
Harrow College
Harrow College is the largest college in the London Borough of Harrow. It opened in 1999 following a merger of two former local colleges, Greenhill College and Weald College .Ofsted has reported the college as Outstanding for Social and Educational Inclusion...
.
Chakrabarti was an active member of the SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
before starting her career. After graduating from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and gaining an LLB
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
, Chakrabarti qualified as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in 1994, and worked as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
from 1996, before joining human rights organisation Liberty on 10 September 2001. She is an alumna of the British-American Project
British-American Project
The British-American Project is a fellowship of some 600 leaders and opinion formers from a broad spectrum of occupations, backgrounds and political viewpoints, drawn in equal numbers from the United States and the United Kingdom...
, which promotes Anglo-American relations.
Liberty
Originally hired as in-house counsel, she was appointed director of Liberty in 2003. As director of the cross-party non-party organisation, she has campaigned against over-broad anti-terrorist measures which followed the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, such as Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 was formally introduced into the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 19 November 2001, two months after the terrorist attacks on New York on 11 September. It received royal assent and came into force on 14 December 2001...
(ATCSA), and is a prominent opponent of recent counter-terrorism legislation. She is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and to various newspapers on the topic of human rights and civil liberties and was described in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
as making "seemingly endless appearances on Question Time and the rolling news bulletins". She was also described in The Times newspaper as "the most effective public affairs lobbyist of the past 20 years"
In December 2005, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
ran a poll of listeners to establish "who runs Britain". After many hours of debate involving subject matter experts, Today placed Shami Chakrabarti on the shortlist of ten people who may run Britain.
She was shortlisted in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
Political Awards 2006 for the "Most Inspiring Political Figure" award. It was voted for by the public and she came second to Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
, beating Tony Blair, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
and Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
.
Andy Burnham controversy
In June 2008, Andrew BurnhamAndrew Burnham
Andrew Murray Burnham is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Leigh since 2001. He served in the Cabinet under Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Culture Secretary and Health Secretary. He was a candidate in the 2010 Labour...
, then British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage...
, made insinuations in an interview in Progress magazine at Shadow Home Secretary
Shadow Home Secretary
In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary is the person within the shadow cabinet who 'shadows' the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing, national security, immigration, the criminal justice system, the prison service, and...
David Davis
David Davis (British politician)
David Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
's resignation over the 42-day detention for terror suspects. Davis, a Conservative MP, was said by Burnham to have had "late-night, hand-wringing, heart-melting phone calls with Shami Chakrabarti." Chakrabarti received an apology from Burnham for his "innuendo and attempted character assassination".
Damian Green
On 18 April 2009, it was reported in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
that police who raided the parliamentary office of the Conservative frontbencher Damian Green
Damian Green
Damian Howard Green is a British politician who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ashford since 1997. He came to national prominence after being elected in his constituency. Before standing for parliament, Damian Green was Channel 4's business editor...
and arrested him as part of an inquiry into the leaking of Home Office documents had searched through e-mails and computer documents going back a number of years using Chakrabarti's name as one of the keywords. The Times reported her as saying that she believed the actions of Scotland Yard's anti-terror squad "raises very serious questions about just how politicised, even McCarthyite, this operation was...”
London School of Economics
She was on the governing board of the London School of Economics which accepted a £1.5 million donation from Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan leader, Muammar GaddafiMuammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
. She was not part of the meeting which approved the donation but raised concerns with the Council about links with Libya. Howard Davies
Howard Davies
Howard Davies is the name of:* Howard Davies , Wales rugby union international* Sir Howard Davies , Former Director of the London School of Economics and former British financial regulator...
, the Director at the time, resigned over the scandal citing 'personal error of judgement' Despite not being part of the meeting which approved the donation, Chakrabarti was publicly criticised by counter-extremism campaigners 'Student Rights' for 'hypocrisy' in not resigning.. 'Student Rights' did not call for anyone else on the board to resign.
The Leveson Inquiry
In July 2011, Chakrabarti was announced as one of the panel members of the Leveson InquiryLeveson Inquiry
The Leveson Inquiry is an ongoing public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal. On 6 July 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron announced to Parliament that a public government inquiry would convene to further...
; a judicial inquiry into phone hacking in the UK. Other panel members include veteran journalist George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
; former Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
political editor Elinor Goodman
Elinor Goodman
Elinor Mary Goodman is a UK journalist, best known as Political Editor of Channel 4 News from 1988 to 2005. She was educated at the Manor House School, an independent school in Surrey, England....
; former Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
chairman Sir David Bell; former Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
chairman Lord Currie and former West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
chief constable Sir Paul Scott-Lee QPM. The Inquiry is being led by Court of Appeal judge Lord Justice Leveson and is expected to report within 12 months. Chakrabarti described her invitation onto the Inquiry as 'a daunting privilege' and said it reflected Liberty's 'belief in an appropriate balance between personal privacy and media freedom and above all in the Rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
'. Contrary to some incorrect media reports, Chakrabarti remains in Liberty's employment and neither she nor Liberty are taking any remuneration for her role on the panel.
Personal life
Chakrabarti is married to Martyn Hopper and they have one son. They live in LambethLambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
.
She is Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
, a member of the Council and Court of Governors of the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and a governor of the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
, a Visiting Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is an all-graduate college and primarily a research establishment, specialising in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. It is a research centre in the social sciences...
and a Master of the Bench of Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
.
In 2005, the British band The Dastards recorded a song in Chakrabarti's honour entitled "Shami Chakrabarti".
She was featured on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
in December 2008 and has appeared on Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
in April 2006 and May 2008. Chakrabarti received an honorary doctorate from the School of Law at University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
in a graduation ceremony on 21 July 2010.
She also became an honorary graduate of Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
on the 18th of July 2011.