Known as one of Britain's most vocal civil liberties supporter, Shami Chakrabarti (46), has announced that she will be leaving from her post as the director of the human rights campaign group Liberty after 12 years.
She has fought for many issues while at Liberty, including terminating plans to make ID cards compulsory, stop-and-search powers, as well as proposed to extend pre-charge detention to 42 days.
The mother-of-one was born in London and studied Law at the London School of Economics. She was called to bar in 1994, and went on to work as a lawyer in the Home Office from 1996 to 2001.
Speaking about her time at Liberty, she said, “It has been the most enormous privilege to lead Liberty for the past 12 years. With members, colleagues, lawyers, journalists and politicians from across the spectrum, we have held three prime ministers and six home secretaries to account. Liberty's first president, EM Forster, rightly called defending civil liberties 'the fight that is never done'. I leave Liberty secure in the knowledge that we're stronger and more ready for that fight than ever.”
Chakrabarti joined Liberty in 2001, which was founded in 1934, as an in-house counsel. Two years later, she was appointed as director. She also received her CBE in 2007.
The recruitment process to find her replacement will commence in the coming weeks. She will remain in the role until her successor has been appointed.
Frances Butler, the chairwoman for Liberty shared, “Under Shami's transformative leadership, Liberty has great extended its expertise, influence and membership.”
