Convicted rapist loses European court case over right to vote in UK election

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LONDON (Reuters) -A convicted British rapist on Tuesday lost his challenge at Europe’s human rights court over a ban that prevents prisoners from voting in UK elections.

Michael Hora, who was given an indeterminate jail sentence in 2007 for two counts of rape and sexual assault and has previous convictions for rape, argued that the refusal to allow him to vote in the 2019 national election breached his rights.

Judges on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously rejected his claim.

“Considering the seriousness of his offending, his conduct, the risk he was found to pose to the public and the resulting imposition of a harsh sentence of indeterminate detention, the Court found that the restriction on his right to vote in the 2019 general election was not disproportionate,” the court said.

The issue of the rights of prisoners to vote in elections has in the past put Britain at odds with the ECHR and led to criticism from some lawmakers about the court interfering in British domestic affairs.

The blanket ban was ruled incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights in cases from 2005, 2010, 2014 and 2015.

In December 2017, the then British government proposed administrative changes that would allow some prisoners a vote, a move the Council of Europe said was sufficient to signify compliance with the court’s ruling.

That meant while most prisoners were still not entitled to vote there were exceptions, such as for those being held on remand or released on temporary licence.

The Reform UK party, which is currently leading in opinion polls, has said it would take Britain out of the ECHR’s jurisdiction saying it would not allow a foreign-based court to rule on areas of policy such as immigration and deportation rulings.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Mayberry)