UK prisoners denied voting compensation

Prisoners in the UK have been dealt two blows this week, as they failed to get compensation for being barred from voting in the last general election and continue to be denied of voting rights.

On 18 February, the High Court in London blocked compensation bids by prisoners barred from voting in last years general election. The claims were launched by 585 serving prisoners who said that their human rights were breached.

This came just a week after parliament voted to reject the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)'s ruling regarding Britain’s ban on prisoners voting.

Currently, only prisoners on remand have the right to vote in the UK. Minsters have intimated that they may restrict any vote given to prisoners to those serving sentences of four years or less.

The ECHR ruling, originally made in 2005, branded the UK’s stance on the issue as unlawful. The Council of Europe, which is responsible for upholding the rulings of the ECHR, had put pressure on the coalition to finally resolve the issue, warning that it could possibly face fines worth tens of millions.

Speaking to The Journal, Peter Nicholson, editor of the Scottish Law Society Magazine, expressed his bemusement at the situation: “This seems a strange issue for MPs to take a stand against the role of the European Convention and the ECHR. I can’t see that allowing some prisoners to vote will make a difference to the outcome in any seat.

"The whole debate has been marked by an extraordinary level of exaggeration, and a government that purports to believe in the rule of law should just get on with observing it.”

The Council of Europe’s parliamentary body, made up of delegates from 47 countries, has been vocal in its criticism of the actions taken by MPs.

Christos Pourgourides, chair of the body’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights said: “I had hoped that the parliament of one of Europe’s oldest democracies, regarded as playing a leading role in protecting human rights, would have encouraged the United Kingdom to honour its international obligations.”