Privacy not Prism

Delay to proceedings

On 11 April 2014 the Court informed us that it would adjourn (pause) the case until after the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the UK gives its judgment in complaints brought by other organisations including Liberty.

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Those complaints are due to be heard on 18-24 July 2014. A judgment is expected to follow a few months after this. The UK Government asked the court to reject our application and reverse its decision to communicate the case on admissibility and merits in light of these complaints, but the court has not adopted this course. However, it did agree to pause this case to allow the IPT to give judgment in the current complaints.

Although this delay is disappointing, it was anticipated. This decision does not affect the case's priority status; nor does it affect the court's decision to communicate the case in relation to both admissibility and merits. When the case resumes, it will also do so with the assistance of at least 16 NGOs, experts and human rights institutions who have applied to the court to intervene in the case (including complainants in the IPT cases).

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