Journalist and champion of civil liberties who monitored the state’s activities and provided a voice for marginalised groups

Tony Bunyan, who has died aged 83, was a pioneering champion of civil liberties whose modesty combined with a passionate and dogged commitment earned him huge respect among a wide network of those concerned about the growth of unaccountable police forces and security and intelligence agencies in Britain and the EU.

With a keen understanding of how the state can shape and control society, in 1981 Bunyan founded Statewatch, where over more than three decades he monitored the state’s activities, published the results of investigations, and organised conferences that provided a voice for marginalised groups.