LONDON
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday unanimously ruled that Britain did not violate its obligations under the right to free elections, rejecting claims that it failed to investigate Russian interference in its democratic processes.
"In today’s Chamber judgment in the case of Bradshaw and Others v. the United Kingdom (application no. 15653/22) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been: no violation of Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 (right to free elections) to the European Convention on Human Rights," the court said in a statement.
The case was brought in 2022 by former MPs Ben Bradshaw, Caroline Lucas, and Alyn Smith over the government's response to the Intelligence and Security Committee's report into alleged Russian interference in the UK's democratic processes during the 2019 general election.
While acknowledging initial shortcomings in the UK's response, the court found that two independent investigations had taken place and that subsequent legislative and operational reforms were sufficient.
The judges concluded that these efforts met the UK’s obligations under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to free elections.
"The Court found that, while States should not remain passive when faced with evidence that their democratic processes were under threat, they must be given considerable latitude in their choice of how to counter such threats," added the statement.