Green Party response on Council of Europe human rights negotiations in Brighton

21 April 2012

Judge and hammer

After this week's Council of Europe conference in Brighton on modifying the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) relations with treaty states, leading Greens say they are "relieved" that the Brighton summit did not result in a weakening of the powers of the Court.

In a joint statement, Caroline Lucas MP (Brighton Pavilion), Keith Taylor (Green MEP for Southeast England) and Brighton & Hove City Council Leader Bill Randall, said, "We are relieved that the delegates to the Council of Europe conference in Brighton have seen through the British government's attempts to weaken the European Court of Human Rights.

"The European Court of Human Rights is absolutely vital for the thousands of people each year across Europe who feel that their rights have not been upheld by their own countries' judicial systems and it was wrong for the British government to attempt to limit such people's access to the Court.

"Happily, the rest of Europe did not agree with (Conservative Justice Minister) Ken Clarke and colleagues.

"If the Coalition government does not want to see so many Britons going to the European Court of Human Rights, perhaps it should not try to change the Court rules but instead improve its own treatment of human rights."

"The ECHR provides an essential safety net for individuals whose human rights that have not been well served by their national judiciary.

"With only eight British cases overturned by ECHR last year out of around 900 applications this seems like a crass bid for popularity from a spot of euro-bashing, rather than any serious attempt to improve the system."

Notes

For more information please contact Brighton and Hove Green Party press office on 01273 766 670.

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