According to the British Journal of Photograph, a European Court has rejected the Home Office’s appeal on Section 44, designed to give police more powers over stop and search.

In a statement, the human rights group Liberty, which represented the plaintiffs, says that “today the European Court of Human Rights confirmed it has rejected the British government’s final appeal over section 44 stop and search powers.”

On 12 January, the European Court stated that the use of Section 44 to stop-and-search people is illegal and that the powers lack proper ‘safeguards against abuse’.

The court was hearing the case of Kevin Gillan and Pennie Quinton, who were both stopped during a London-based arms trade show on 09 September 2003. The police were ‘acting under sections 44-47 of the 2000 Act, while (the two were) on their way to a demonstration close to an arms fair held in the Docklands area of East London’.

The European Court found that the two protesters’ rights had been violated under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Earlier in June it was revealed that tens of thousands of people had been stopped in the street and searched unlawfully under Section 44 anti-terrorism powers.

[via @glinner]

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   European Court rejects UK appeal on stop-and-search powers http://bit.ly/d2NV0P

2. Jon Sharman

   RT @libcon: European Court rejects UK appeal on stop-and-search powers http://bit.ly/d2NV0P

3. earwicga

   RT @libcon: European Court rejects UK appeal on stop-and-search powers http://bit.ly/d2NV0P

4. TCK GR

   @thegreatgonzo Court rejects UK appeal on stop-and-search: According to the British Journal of Photograph, a Europ… http://bit.ly/azvomz