Tim Crosland has filed an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg alleging that his conviction for contempt of court before the Supreme Court, arising out of his breaching of the embargo on the Heathrow judgment, violated:

• Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to a fair trial, on the grounds that the Supreme Court, which asserted that the Government had taken the Paris Agreement into account in approving the plans to expand Heathrow Airport, despite the Government’s own admission that it had considered the Paris Agreement to be “not relevant”, and which subsequently referred Tim Crosland to the Attorney General, was not an independent and impartial tribunal; and
• Article 10, the right to freedom of expression, on the grounds that the criminalisation of a person for highlighting the suppression of evidence that Heathrow expansion was inconsistent with the 1.5˚C Paris temperature goal was an unnecessary and unlawful interference with that right.

The application form can’t be uploaded but relevant excerpts can be read here.

“Some governments and business leaders are saying one thing – but doing another. Simply put, they are lying. And the results will be catastrophic …”, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, 4 April 2022, launch of the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

“Sometimes, inevitably, those involved in the conduct of government, as in any other walk of life, are guilty of error, incompetence, misbehaviour, dereliction of duty, even dishonesty and malpractice. Those concerned may very strongly wish that the facts relating to such matters are not made public. Publicity may reflect discredit on them or their predecessors. It may embarrass the authorities. It may impede the process of administration. Experience however shows, in this country and elsewhere, that publicity is a powerful disinfectant. Where abuses are exposed, they can be remedied. Even where abuses have already been remedied, the public may be entitled to know that they occurred. The role of the press in exposing abuses and miscarriages of justice has been a potent and honourable one. But the press cannot expose that of which it is denied knowledge.” Lord Bingham, R v Shayler, 2002

The European Court will rule, initially, on the admissibility of the claim.