STRASBOURG: The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed a case filed by three British MPs accusing the UK government of failing to address alleged Russian interference in key elections.
The ruling follows a 2021 High Court rejection of the same claim.
The MPs—Labour’s Ben Bradshaw, Green Party’s Caroline Lucas, and SNP’s Alyn Smith—argued that the government violated the European Convention on Human Rights by not investigating credible claims of foreign meddling in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 2016 Brexit vote, and 2019 general election.
The court ruled that the applicants could not be considered “victims” of any legal breach, stating they failed to prove personal harm or that the electoral process was fundamentally compromised.
“States should not remain passive when faced with evidence that their democratic processes are under threat,“ the court noted, but added that the UK had a “wide margin of appreciation” in handling such threats.
A 2020 UK parliamentary report found no conclusive evidence of Russian interference but criticised the government for taking “its eye off the ball.”
Critics linked official inaction to Conservative Party ties with Russian donors.
The ECHR oversees human rights compliance across 46 member states. – AFP
