Nudity is not a human right, European court rules in case of 'naked rambler'
A British man nicknamed the “naked rambler” after an unclothed trek across the United Kingdom does not have a legal right to appear naked in public, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday.
The court ruled against Stephen Gough, who had claimed violations of two provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights protecting freedom of expression and right to respect for private life. How Appealing links to coverage–including stories by the Independent, the BBC and the Associated Press–and to the opinion and a press release (PDF).
Gough had spent more than seven years in prison as a result of repeated convictions for public nudity or contempt of court, the press release says. The prison terms increased as the convictions multiplied. He was arrested more than 30 times and refused to wear clothes in court or in prison, requiring him to be held in segregation.
A sheriff improvised when Gough represented himself in a June 2009 case in which he refused to wear clothes. “The Sheriff allowed him to be present in court after a screen covering the lower half of his body was hastily constructed,” the opinion says.
Gough expressed disappointment in the European Court’s decision, according to the BBC. “How can any sane person be offended at seeing the human body?” he said. “I have no choice but to continue.”
