Prisoners must get vote by next year, warns Europe
Prisoners in Britain must be given the vote in time for elections next year, the Council of Europe said yesterday as it stepped up pressure on the new coalition Government to abide by a five-year-old court ruling.
By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor, Daily Telegraph, Published: 5:48PM BST 08 Jun 2010
The European Court of Human Rights concluded in 2005 that a blanket voting ban for all prisoners was unlawful and breached their human rights.
However, ministers are still to act on the judgment with the previous Government instead overseeing two separate consultations, including proposals to give prisoners serving terms of four years or less the vote.
A ruling from the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers yesterday voiced "profound regret" that the blanket ban was not lifted in time for last month's general election.
And it indicated that it was ready to draw up a resolution for action at its next meeting in September, if Britain had not taken steps by that point to comply with the judgment in time for the elections to devolved assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on May 5 2011.
Britian could be the first country to fall foul of new powers which came into effect earlier this month allowing non-compliance proceedings in the Grand Chamber of the Strasbourg court, with potential sanctions including suspension or expulsion from the Council of Europe – a separate body from the European Union.
The failure to lift the ban in time for the General Election created "a substantial risk" of repeated appeals by prisoners to the European Court, the committee warned.
Campaigners for prisoner votes last night said the latest missive meant the Government has three months to act.
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "The Committee of Ministers has given the coalition government a valuable opportunity to overturn this outdated and unlawful ban.
"The ban should be swept away as part of the Government's drive for wider constitutional reform and its commitment to a 'rehabilitation revolution'."
An MOJ spokesman said: "Until the approach is settled, it would not be appropriate to comment further."
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
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