Human rights fighter speaks at Leeds Beckett

Shami, who became Director of Liberty (also known as the National Council for Civil Liberties) in September 2003, presented her talk, ‘On Liberty: Human Rights Nationally and Internationally’ at the University’s Rose Bowl as part of the Law in Practice lecture series.

Shami first joined Liberty as In-House Counsel on 10 September 2001 and became heavily involved in its engagement with the 'war on terror' and with the defence and promotion of human rights values in Parliament, the Courts and wider society. Liberty aims to promote the values of individual human dignity, equal treatment and fairness as the foundations of a democratic society. The organisation campaigns to protect basic rights and freedoms through the courts, in Parliament and in the wider community.

Introducing her talk, Shami said: “One of the most important human rights messages in modern Britain, and indeed in the 21^st Century world, has to be that this planet is shrinking and interconnected. Whether it’s questions of the new frontier of civil liberties debate that is the internet, or whether it’s questions of the relationship between foreign policy and home affairs policy, between military interventions and refugee crises: over there and over here cannot be separated in the way that some parts of our polity and our press are tempted to do.”

When asked what advice she would give to university students of today, Shami said: “Life is short – enjoy it. The motto that I didn’t have then that I do have now is that everyone is equal: no one is superior. You’ve got to walk that line between confidence and arrogance. Be confident.”

Deveral Capps, Head of the Leeds Law School at Leeds Beckett University, commented: “Shami has recently announced she is stepping down from her role as Director of Liberty and for her to choose to make one of her final public appearances in that role at Leeds Law School is a real honour. Our human rights are something we often take for granted in the UK and the work that Shami and Liberty do on behalf of us all is of immense value to our society.”

Since becoming Liberty’s Director, Shami has written, spoken and broadcast widely on the importance of the post-World War II human rights framework as an essential component of democratic society.

A barrister by background, she was called to the Bar in 1994 and worked as a lawyer in the Home Office from 1996 until 2001.

In 2011, Shami was invited to be one of six independent assessors advising Lord Justice Leveson in his public inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the UK Press.

Law in Practice provides an opportunity to hear from professionals from a range of backgrounds and contexts who will provide insight into developments and key issues of relevance to the legal sector and professional practice. Previous speakers include Catherine Dixon, Chief Executive of the Law Society of England and Wales.