Liberty - Protecting civil liberties, promoting human rights

The conference will host a diverse range of speakers including Sun columnist Jon Gaunt, head of counter-terrorism for the Metropolitan police, John Yates, former MP and veteran campaigner Tony Benn, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Sessions at the conference will include the Human rights act, speech and protest, the war on terror, and privacy. Mr Benn was himself on the receiving end of the anti-terror powers when he was stopped and searched under controversial section 44 powers outside the Houses of Commons.

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, said;

“Born during the Depression, Liberty (the National Council for Civil Liberties) has lived through a World War, Cold War and War on Terror. Once more in challenging times, we come together from across and outside politics to explore the common values of the oldest unbroken democracy on Earth.”

The conference will mark 75 years since the formation of the National Council for Civil Liberties during the hunger marches of 1934.

Contact: Liberty press office on 020 7378 3656 or 07973831128

Notes to Editors

Liberty’s 75th Anniversary conference will be held at Methodist Central Hall on 6 June 2009. The full list of speakers include the following;

Diane Abbott MP • Kate Adie • Samira Ahmed • Camila Batmanghelidjh • Yasmin Alibhai-Brown • Tony Benn • Lord Bingham • Frances Butler • Gurinder Chadha • Shami Chakrabarti • Louise Christian • Nick Clegg MP • Madeleine Colvin • Iain Dale • Simon Davies • Jon Gaunt • Dominic Grieve MP • Afua Hirsch • Fiona Horlick • John Kampfner • Doreen Lawrence OBE • Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP • Ken Macdonald QC • Kevin Maguire • Patrick Mercer MP • Benet Middleton • Gareth Peirce • Dr Katherine Rake • Jack Straw MP • Mark Titchner • Vivienne Westwood • John Yates