George Blake, a fugitive from British justice and MI6 double agent who escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison 40 years ago and fled to Russia, has been awarded £3,350 in damages by the European Court of Human Rights because British authorities delayed too long in resolving a dispute over whether he could collect royalties for his autobiography. Blake, who is now 84 and still on the lam, is believed to have betrayed more than 40 MI6 agents, many of whom were killed, during his career as a double agent. The British government objected to his obtaining royalties on the grounds that he had violated confidentiality by publishing the memoir, but the ECHR accepted the arguments of Blake’s lawyers that it was a violation of his rights for the dispute to have dragged on for nine years in British courts. (Richard Norton Taylor, “MI6 double agent Blake wins damages from government”, The Guardian (UK), Sept. 27; Joshua Rozenberg, “Britain must pay traitor Blake for breaching his human rights”, Daily Telegraph, Sept. 27; Dave Zincavage, Sept. 27).
UK: Fugitive spy entitled to damages from gov’t
George Blake, a fugitive from British justice and MI6 double agent who escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison 40 years ago and fled to Russia, has been awarded £3,350 in damages by the European Court of Human Rights because British authorities delayed too long in resolving a dispute over whether he could collect royalties for his […]
3 Comments
I presume he may pick up his cheque in London? (And that he hasn’t served his full sentence?)
What happens if the UK just says no and refuses to pay? I can’t imagine the Human Rights court has that much power to enforce its rulings. What amazes me is that the UK is even part of that court. Its only purpose seems to be to meddle in the UK’s affairs and protect the country’s criminals.
Worth noting that the Human Rights Court, that model of efficiency, only needed 5 and two-thirds years to conclude this case of an unfairly protracted trial.
How do they manage to process cases so fast?
Volume!