EIT: Valittajan oikeudenkäyntikuluja ei tuomittu korvattavaksi, kun valituksen lopputulos oli ilmeinen

Euroopan ihmisoikeustuomioistuin (EIT) totesi, että Yhdistyneessä Kuningaskunnasa edelleen voimassa ollut laki siitä, että vangit eivät voi äänestää, rikkoi oikeutta vapaisiin vaaleihin. Koska tämä oli jo aiemmassa oikeudeskäytännössä todettu, ei valittajille myönnetty korvausta sopimusloukkauksesta eikä oikeudenkäyntikuluista.

EIT:n lehdistötiedotteesta:

As in previous judgments concerning prisoners’ right to vote (including Hirst (No. 2) v. the United Kingdom, Greens and M.T. and Scoppola (No. 3) v. Italy), the Court held that the finding of a violation constituted sufficient just satisfaction for any non-pecuniary damage sustained by the applicants. It therefore declined to award any compensation.

The Court also rejected the applicants’ claim for legal costs. It referred to its remarks in Greens and M.T., paragraph 120, where it had indicated that it would be unlikely to award costs in future followup cases. It explained that the present applicants, in lodging their applications, had only been required to cite Article 3 of Protocol 1, allege that they were detained pursuant to a sentence of imprisonment of the date of the election on question and confirm that they had been otherwise eligible to vote in that election. It found that the lodging of such an application was straightforward and did not require legal assistance. It therefore concluded that the legal costs claimed had not been reasonably and necessarily incurred.

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