Theresa May has to answer to the ECtHR

 Executive Director Jim Killock said:

“Theresa May will be defending mass surveillance in the ECtHR over the next weeks, as they examine what we have learnt about huge programmes gathering everyone’s data. This is the same court that Theresa May believes she should not have to answer to.

“The government built GCHQ’s programmes without discussion in parliament. The ECtHR has provided a way for impartial judges to examine what our government has done, even when they preferred to bypass democratic procedure.”

Open Rights Group, along with Big Brother Watch, English PEN and internet campaigner Constanze Kurz are asking the European Court of Human Rights to rule on whether UK surveillance and oversight comply with the right to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention. After being put on hold for two years, the case is now proceeding and a Judgment is expected later this year.

More information