Shami Chakrabarti
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| Shami Chakrabarti | |
 At Humber Mouth on 28 June 2007
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| Born | 16 June 1969 London, England |
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| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Director of Liberty |
| Spouse(s) | (married 1995) |
| Children | 1 |
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.[1]
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[edit] Early life
After graduating from the London School of Economics gaining a degree in law, Chakrabarti worked as a barrister at the Home Office from 1996 after qualifying as a barrister in 1994, before joining Liberty on 10 September 2001.[2] She is an alumna of the British-American Project, which promotes Anglo-American relations.[3][4]
[edit] Liberty
She spent the following two years campaigning against the anti-terrorist measures which followed the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, 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.
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.
Chakrabarti has comprehensively attacked the political legacy of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.[5] 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.[6]
[edit] Andy Burnham controversy
In June 2008, Andrew Burnham, British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, made insinuations in an interview in Progress magazine at Shadow Home Secretary David Davis' 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".[7][8][9]
[edit] Personal life
Chakrabarti lives with her husband, a partner at City legal firm Herbert Smith, in London. They have one son and they married in July 1995 in the City of London.
She is a member of the editorial board of the political monthly Total Politics, and a governor of the Ditchley Foundation which aims to promote international, especially Anglo-American, relations.[10] Discussions at the Ditchley Foundation are private and non-attributable.
She is Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, a member of the Council and Court of Governor 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.[11]
[edit] Popular culture
- In 2005, the British band The Dastards wrote a song in Chakrabarti's honour entitled Shami Chakrabarti.[12]
- She appears in videos in the British Library's exhibition, Taking Liberties (2008).
- She was featured on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in December 2008
- She appeared on Have I Got News for You in May 2008.
- She objected to Carol Thatcher's use of the term "Golliwog", when, on the BBC's Question Time (5 February 2009) she argued that such terms as "Paki" and "Golliwog" are racist slurs. She added that while twenty years ago the use of the word "Golliwog" may still have been acceptable, since then "we have rubbed together". She told of her nausea, from her student days, on hearing about wine being bought from the "Paki Shop".
- In Charlie Brooker's horror/comedy Dead Set, Big Brother producer Patrick (Andy Nyman) dismisses a housemate's (Kevin Eldon) claims that his human rights are being abused by shouting "Fuck Off, Shami Chakrabarti" into the house PA system.
[edit] References
- ^ "Director of Liberty appointed University Chancellor". Oxford Brookes University. 2008-06-16. http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about/news/newchancellor.
- ^ "Desert Island Discs featuring Shami Chakrabarti". Desert Island Discs (BBC, Radio 4). 2008-11-02. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/desertislanddiscs_20081102.shtml.
- ^ http://www.baponline.org/conferences.html
- ^ Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (March 17, 2008). "This unhealthy strain of left-wing McCarthyism". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-this-unhealthy-strain-of-leftwing-mccarthyism-796804.html.
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3639988/So-much-freedom-lost-and-on-my-watch.html
- ^ Channel 4 Political Awards 2007.Channel4.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-30
- ^ Patrick Wintour "Chakrabarti threatens to sue over Minister's jibe", The Guardian, 20 June 2008
- ^ James Chapman "I may sue over David Davis slur, civil rights chief warns Minister", Daily Mail, 19 June 2008
- ^ Robert Winnett "Andy Burnham writes letter of apology to Shami Chakrabarti for David Davis comments", Daily Telegraph, 21 June 2008
- ^ "The Governors". Ditchley Foundation. http://www.ditchley.co.uk/page/64/the-governors.htm. Retrieved on 2009-06-17.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58358, p. 7, 16 June 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ Shami Chakrabarti Lyrics - by The Dastards.Dastards.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-30
[edit] External links
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Wadham |
Director of Liberty 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Jon Snow |
Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University 2008 – present |
Incumbent |
