Shami Chakrabarti, British Library

Shami Chakrabarti joined the human rights advocacy group Liberty  in 2001, and two years later was appointed its director. For over a decade, she has been campaigning tirelessly, accruing a dizzying list of accolades along the way, including a CBE, and honorary degrees from five different universities. On October 14th, The Guardian columnist Zoe Williams will be in conversation with Chakrabarti at the British Library, as part of the Guardian reader events series.

The talk is to coincide with the publication of Chakrabarti’s new book On Liberty , which is planned for release by Allen Lane on October 2nd. This work takes the September 11th attacks as its starting point, and goes on to explore the effects of these attacks on civil liberties in the West. Chakrabarti argues that in their fervour to pass anti-terrorism legislation, Western governments have risked eroding the fundamental rights of their citizens. 

During her conversation with Williams, Chakrabarti will explore and develop this argument, and is expected to touch on controversial issues in UK policy, including ID cards, and the imprisonment of foreign terror suspects without trial. Never afraid to voice her opinion, Chakrabarti is a fascinating and passionate thinker, both on the page and in person. This means that for anyone with an interest in contemporary politics, this event ought not to be missed.