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EU court backs ban on prisoners voting

06 October 2015, 17:45 CET
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EU court backs ban on prisoners voting

Photo © Andre - Fotolia

(LUXEMBOURG) - The European Union's top court ruled Tuesday that countries can ban prisoners from voting in elections if they have been convicted of a serious crime, in a case Britain was watching closely.

The case was brought by Frenchman Thierry Delvigne, who appealed to the European Court of Justice after French authorities barred him from voting in all elections after his conviction in 1988.

But the Luxembourg-based court said the ban was "proportionate in so far as it takes into account the nature and gravity of the criminal offence committed," adding it was "possible to maintain a ban."

The case was being closely watched in Britain, where Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to uphold a ban on any prisoners voting on the grounds that it is a matter of national sovereignty.

The issue has been seen as a litmus test of Britain's ability to make decisions about its own laws as it prepares for an EU membership referendum that Cameron has promised by the end of 2017.

"I'm very clear prisoners shouldn't get the vote and it's a matter for the British Parliament. The British Parliament has spoken and the Supreme Court in Britain has spoken so I'm content to leave it there," Cameron told LBC radio.

Last year, the European Court of Human Rights -- a separate court that is not affiliated with the EU -- condemned Britain for banning prisoners from voting and said it was in breach of the right to free elections enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights.

Judgement of the European Court of Justice in Case C-650/13 - Delvigne


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