Shami Chakrabarti
Human Rights
The Case for the Defence
A powerful and urgent explanation and vindication of our human rights and freedoms
After the devastation of World War Two, the international community came together to enshrine fundamental rights to refuge, health, education and living standards, for privacy, fair trials and free speech, and outlawing torture, slavery and discrimination. Their goal was greater global justice, equality, and peace. That settlement is now in danger, attacked by opponents from across the political spectrum and populist and authoritarian movements worldwide.
We are threatened by wars, inequality, new technologies and climate catastrophe, and we need our human rights now more than ever. In this powerful, accessible book, Shami Chakrabarti, lawyer, parliamentarian and leading British human rights defender, shows us why human rights are essential for our future. Outlining the historic national and international struggles for human rights, from the fall of Babylon, to the present day, Chakrabarti is an indispensable guide to the law and logic underpinning human dignity and universal freedoms.
Her intervention will engage both sceptics and supporters, equipping believers in the battle of ideas and persuading doubters to think again.
To believe in human rights is to believe in human beings. If they – and we – are to survive, these rights must be owned and understood by everyone.
“A blueprint for how human rights thinking might help us solve the great problems of the day.” — Brenda Hale, former president of the UK Supreme Court.
