He even appeared naked before a judge and finally he has spent seven years in jail with interruptions, beginning from August 25, 2006, being many times released and rearrested for the same strange behavior. To justify himself, Gough argued European laws on respect for private life and freedom of expression gave him the right to nudity whenever he chose it. Being involved with the public nudity advocacy group “The Freedom to be Yourself”, he took Britain to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the grounds that his freedom of expression and right to respect for private life had been impinged. The answer of ECHR disappointed however Stephen Gough and his sustainers. On October 28, 2014, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that European laws protecting privacy and freedom of expression did not apply to Gough’s naked rambling. “Without the freedom to express our individuality and uniqueness in our own way, something inside us dies” was Gough’s reaction to this answer. He continues to believe he can do this as his way to manifest freedom.
