Leaders urged to stand firm on migration declaration
Civil-society organisation and human-rights activists across the island of Ireland have urged the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister to resist any moves to weaken protections under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
A letter to the two leaders has been sent ahead of a Council of Europe meeting taking place later this week in Chişinău, Moldova, later this week.
At the meeting, member states are due to consider a proposed political declaration on migration and human rights.
The letter, organised by FLAC and the North’s Human Rights Consortium, warns that the proposals currently under discussion risk undermining the universality of human-rights protections and weakening the authority and independence of the European Court of Human Rights.
Exceptions
The signatories say that they are concerned that elements of the proposed declaration could signal a political willingness to limit or reinterpret human-rights obligations under the ECHR.
They warn that introducing exceptions or differentiated standards for particular groups undermines the universality of human-rights protections and weakens safeguards for everyone over time.
The groups argue that article 8 of the ECHR, on the right to private and family life, already gives states wide flexibility.
They say that further attempts to “rebalance” rights and state control could make it easier to break up families and interfere with private life, especially in migration cases.
‘Conditional’ rights warning
FLAC chief executive Eilis Barry described the ECHR as “a practical, living framework that protects people in their everyday interactions with the State”.
“Once we start treating human rights as conditional or negotiable for certain groups, everyone’s rights become less secure,” she stated.
The letter calls on the British and Irish governments to reject any political declaration that would narrow or reinterpret ECHR rights or rights‑holders, and to instead take active steps to strengthen the convention system.