Nicholas Roberts queries the existence of a human right to a satellite TV dish
A 2008 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) finding Sweden in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention) has come to prominence as a result of recent coverage in the Mail on Sunday and The Sunday Times.
In the Swedish case the tenants of a flat had erected a satellite dish in breach of their tenancy agreement. The landlord took enforcement action, which the Swedish courts upheld. The ECtHR held that Sweden was in breach of its obligations under the Convention under Art 10, dealing with the right to freedom of expression: this includes the right to receive and impart information and ideas. The newspapers may have come across the case because the Equality and Human Rights Commission has included a similar (though rather more compelling) scenario in its leaflet: Human rights at home:
Guidance for social housing providers: “Example: A social housing provider’s standard terms of tenancy prevent the erection of any satellite dish or aerial on the exterior of
