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Liberty
The National Council for Civil Liberties

Formation	22 February 1934; 91 years ago (1934-02-22)
Type	Political pressure group
Legal status	Trust
Focus	Human rights
Headquarters	London, England
Director	Akiko Hart (interim director)
Website

Liberty, also known as the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), is a group in the United Kingdom. It works to protect civil liberties and promote human rights for everyone. They challenge unfair laws and policies. They do this by working in courts, talking to Parliament, and raising awareness in communities. Liberty also wants to create a "rights culture" in British society. The NCCL was started in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith. They were driven by their strong beliefs in human values.

In the 1950s, the NCCL fought to improve the mental health system. At that time, some people, like unmarried mothers, could be locked up. Even if they were sane, they were seen as 'morally wrong'. By 1957, their efforts helped free about 2,000 people. They also helped get rid of an old law and set up new review groups. This led to the Mental Health Act 1959, which was a big step forward.

Since 2016, Liberty has been busy with a major court case. They are challenging the Investigatory Powers Act, a law about government spying. They also campaign against "hostile environment" policies. These rules allow people to be held in immigration detention for a very long time in the UK.

In late 2019, Liberty started Liberty Investigates. This is a journalism team that works independently. They first focused on how the coronavirus pandemic affected human rights in the UK.

History of Liberty

How Liberty Started

The idea for Liberty came after the National Hunger March in 1932. The group was officially founded in 1934. Its first meeting was in London on February 22. A letter in newspapers announced the group's creation. It said they were formed because people's freedom was being taken away.

One of their first campaigns was against a proposed law called the 'Sedition Bill'. This bill would have made it a crime to even own anti-war writings. Although the bill became law, NCCL helped make it less strict. They also campaigned against groups that promoted hate. They fought against film censorship and supported striking miners.

Liberty During World War II

During World War II, a controversial figure named Oswald Mosley was released from prison. He had been held without trial under a special wartime rule. The National Council for Civil Liberties actually asked for him to stay in prison. Some members disagreed with this. As a result, 38 people resigned from the NCCL.

Liberty's New Name

In 1989, the NCCL changed its public name to "Liberty." During this time, Andrew Puddephatt and John Wadham led the organisation.

On September 10, 2001, Shami Chakrabarti joined Liberty. She became the director in 2003. As director, she began to campaign against what she saw as too many anti-terror measures. These measures followed the attacks on September 11, 2001, in the United States. Liberty became much more well-known, and Chakrabarti often appeared in the media. She was called a very effective public advocate.

After the 2015 UK general election, Liberty led the effort to protect the Human Rights Act. In 2015, Chakrabarti said Liberty would be "more watchful and active" in Scotland. She even joined Scotland's First Minister to defend the Human Rights Act.

In January 2016, Chakrabarti stepped down as director. Martha Spurrier took over the role in May.

Since 2016, Liberty has focused on challenging the Investigatory Powers Act in court. They also campaign against "hostile environment" policies. They want to end the long-term holding of people in immigration detention in the UK. In late 2019, they started Liberty Investigates. This journalism unit focuses on how the coronavirus pandemic affects human rights in the UK.

Important Campaigns

After World War II

BBC Ban Protests In the 1940s, NCCL protested a BBC ban. The BBC had banned artists who attended a meeting organized by the Communist Party.

Soldiers' Rights After the Second World War, NCCL worked for better rights for soldiers. They wanted better training and a fairer military justice system. They also wanted soldiers to have freedom to join groups.

Wrongful Convictions At this time, NCCL also helped in cases where people were wrongly accused. In one case, three men were jailed for attacking a police officer. But someone else admitted to the crime. NCCL found a witness who proved the men were innocent. They were released from prison and officially forgiven.

Improving Mental Health Care In the 1950s, NCCL campaigned to change the mental health system. Back then, sane people could be locked up if they were seen as 'morally wrong'. Liberty's campaign led to the release of about 2,000 people. It also helped get rid of an old mental health law. New review groups were set up, leading to the Mental Health Act 1959.

1960s and Early 1970s

In the 1960s, the group expanded its work. It campaigned on issues of race, and for the rights of children and prisoners. This wider range of campaigns led to more members and more media attention.

Fighting Discrimination After 1960, NCCL worked to fight stricter immigration laws. They also responded to a rise in hate incidents. They pushed for the Race Relations Act, which became law in 1965. NCCL also showed how black and Asian people were refused service in some places.

After a controversial speech about race in 1968, NCCL organized a meeting. They also gave a petition to the Prime Minister.

Women's Rights Working for women's rights was also a key part of NCCL's work. They successfully called for changes to jury service laws. These laws had stopped women and poorer people from serving on juries.

Right to Protest NCCL helped groups who were not allowed to protest. They also watched how police handled demonstrations, like those against the Vietnam War.

Support for Soldiers Who Wanted to Leave NCCL also helped soldiers who wanted to leave the army. Many had joined as teenagers and then regretted it. But they were often prevented from leaving for many years.

Northern Ireland In 1972, NCCL campaigned for civil rights in Northern Ireland.

Protecting Personal Information In 1975, NCCL bought 3 million credit files that were for sale. They destroyed the files. This led to a major campaign called 'Right to Know'. It aimed to give people more control over their personal information.

1975 to 1989

In late 1974, Patricia Hewitt became the general secretary. Other future politicians also worked at the organisation. These included Harriet Harman, Jack Dromey, and Diane Abbott.

Gay Rights and Censorship NCCL helped the owners of the Gay's the Word bookshop. Customs officers took their books in 1984. All charges were dropped in 1986.

Miners' Strike During the miners' strike, NCCL helped miners. They were stopped from protesting outside their home areas.

Government Spying The European Court of Human Rights ruled that MI5 spying on Harriet Harman and Patricia Hewitt was against human rights. This happened when they worked at Liberty.

1990 to 2004

Holding People Without Charge During the Gulf War, Liberty successfully campaigned for the release of over 100 Iraqi people. They were held in Britain without charge. Liberty argued they posed no risk to national security.

Wrongful Convictions In the 1990s, Liberty again focused on cases of wrongful convictions. They pushed for changes to the justice system. A famous case was the Birmingham Six. They were released after 16 years in prison for bombings they did not commit.

Human Rights Act In the early 2000s, Liberty used the new Human Rights Act 1998 to fight important cases. They supported Diane Pretty's right to die with dignity. They also supported Christine Goodwin's fight for transgender rights.

Challenging Detention Without Trial Liberty got involved in a long court case. The highest court ruled that holding non-British people without trial was against the law. In 2005, the court also said that evidence gained through torture could not be used in British courts.

Protecting Whistleblowers In 2004, Liberty helped Katharine Gun. She was a translator who revealed that the US had asked the British government for help with illegal spying. She was charged under a secrecy law. The charges were dropped.

2005 to 2014

Limits on Detention In 2007 and 2008, Liberty led the fight against government plans. The government wanted to hold terror suspects for 42 days without charge. Liberty celebrated a big win when the government dropped the idea.

Police Poster Campaign In 2009, Liberty protested a poster campaign by the police. The posters showed computer-generated images of criminals as old people. Liberty supported complaints from the criminals' families. They said the posters made them targets in their communities.

Helping Homeless People In 2011, Liberty successfully helped stop a local council. The council wanted to make it illegal to give food to homeless people in some areas.

Concerns About the Olympics Before the London 2012 Olympic Games, Liberty raised concerns. They worried that the huge security systems would limit people's freedoms. Liberty argued that peaceful protest and free speech were important.

Secret Courts In 2012, Liberty campaigned against a proposed law. This law would have allowed "secret courts" where evidence could be hidden. Liberty and others successfully pushed against it. However, the law still passed in 2013.

Fairer Extradition Laws Liberty also campaigned for fairer extradition laws. This meant stopping people from being sent to other countries for trial unfairly. A well-known case was that of Gary McKinnon.

Gary McKinnon's Case On October 16, 2012, Gary McKinnon won his decade-long fight. The Home Secretary refused to send him to the US. This was because it would go against his human rights. Gary was accused of hacking into US military systems. He said he was looking for UFOs. Gary has Asperger syndrome. His lawyers argued he should be tried in the UK. Liberty's director said it was a great day for rights and justice.

Gay Rights Liberty helped a gay couple, Michael Black and John Morgan. They were turned away from a bed and breakfast because of the owner's religious views. In 2012, a court ruled that the owner had discriminated against them. Liberty said this ruling should end such "no gays" policies.

2015 Onwards

Protecting the Human Rights Act

After the 2015 general election, Liberty started a campaign. They wanted to save the Human Rights Act. The winning party had promised to get rid of it. Liberty called this an attempt to choose who human rights apply to.

In 2016, Liberty, Amnesty International UK, and others spoke out against repealing the Act. Over 130 groups supported them.

Deepcut Inquests

Liberty represents the families of three young soldiers. These soldiers died at Deepcut army barracks between 1995 and 2002. Liberty used the Human Rights Act to get police to share evidence. This evidence helped the families get new investigations into the deaths.

Mass Spying

After Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013, mass spying became a big part of Liberty's work.

Liberty and other groups challenged the UK government's spying. In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that government spying practices were against privacy rights. They also said there were not enough safeguards.

In 2014, Liberty represented two Members of Parliament. They challenged a law that allowed keeping phone and internet data. The court ruled that keeping all emails and communications was illegal. In 2018, the law was found unlawful.

Throughout 2016, Liberty campaigned against a new spying law. They believed it lacked privacy protections. The law passed in November 2016. Liberty then started a fundraiser to challenge the Act in court.

Liberty's challenge to parts of the Investigatory Powers Act is still ongoing. In 2018, the High Court ruled that parts of the Act needed to be rewritten.

Equal Pensions for Same-Sex Couples

Liberty represented John Walker in a court case. He challenged a rule that allowed employers to give less pension money to same-sex spouses. John's husband would get much less than if John were married to a woman.

In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that this rule was illegal under EU law.

Hostile Environment Policies

Liberty campaigned against "hostile environment" policies. They have since called for them to be removed. They also campaigned against sharing data between immigration enforcement and public services. In 2017, Liberty revealed that the Home Office had secretly accessed data on homeless people.

Facial Recognition

In 2018, Liberty announced they would represent Ed Bridges. He was challenging the police's use of facial recognition technology in public places. Liberty argues this technology is inaccurate and can harm people's freedoms.

Immigration Detention In 2017, Liberty started a campaign. They called for a 28-day legal limit on how long people can be held in immigration detention in the UK.

How Liberty is Organized

Liberty is both a non-profit company and a group that people can join. Both work closely with the Civil Liberties Trust. Liberty is split into three parts:

Liberty – the Association

This is a group run by its members, which individuals can join.

Liberty – the Company

This is a non-profit company. It hires staff and runs campaigns. It also works closely with the Civil Liberties Trust.

The Civil Liberties Trust

This is a registered charity. It is separate from Liberty. The Trust doesn't have staff. Instead, it asks Liberty to do charitable work. This includes giving public advice, doing research, and working on legal cases.

What Liberty Focuses On

As of 2018, Liberty is campaigning on these main issues:

Mass spying by the government.
Police use of facial recognition and other spying tools.
Human rights in the UK after Brexit.
Hostile environment policies and sharing public service data with immigration enforcement.
Soldiers' rights, especially changing the military justice system.
Immigration detention.
Public spaces protection orders, which limit activities in public areas.

Liberty also works on these important issues all the time:

Stopping Torture.
Protecting Privacy.
Protecting Free speech.
Ensuring equality for everyone.
Protecting protest rights.
Improving policing.

Leaders of Liberty

1932: Ronald Kidd

1942: Elizabeth Acland Allen

1960: Martin Ennals

1966: Tony Smythe

1973: Martin Loney

1974: Patricia Hewitt

1984: Larry Gostin

1985: Sarah Spencer

1989: Andrew Puddephatt

1995: John Wadham

2003: Shami Chakrabarti

2016: Martha Spurrier