Archive · 23 Sep 2025
Convicted Rapist Loses European Court Case Over Voting Rights
A man named Michael, who was in jail for rape, tried to get the right to vote in UK elections.
He lost his case at a European court.
He argued that it was wrong to stop him from voting.
The court said that because of the serious nature of his crime and the length of his prison sentence, it was okay to deny him the right to vote.
This has been an ongoing issue, with the court having previously ruled that blanket bans on prisoner voting were against human rights rules.
However, the court found in this specific case that the restriction was reasonable.
A convicted British rapist challenged a ban on prisoner voting in the UK.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled against the challenge.
The court cited the severity of the man's crimes and sentence in its decision.
The case concerns the right of prisoners to vote in UK elections.
The Reform UK party wants to take Britain out of the ECHR’s jurisdiction.
- Who
- Michael Hora, a convicted rapist.
- What
- Lost his challenge in European Court over a ban on prisoners voting.
- When
- The ruling was made on Tuesday.
- Where
- Europe
- Why
- The court found the voting restriction was not disproportionate given the seriousness of the crime and sentence.
- Plaintiff
- Michael Hora
- Crime
- Rape and sexual assault
- Sentence
- Indeterminate jail sentence in 2007
- Court
- European Court of Human Rights
- Election
- 2019 UK national election
- Legal Issue
- Prisoner voting rights