The joint letter, signed by over 90 civil society groups, academics and activists, has been sent ahead of a Council of Europe meeting taking place later this week in Chişinău, Moldova on Thursday and Friday, where states will consider a proposed Political Declaration relating to migration and human rights.

The signatories warn 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.

In Northern Ireland, the ECHR has particular constitutional significance as a core part of the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement. Any dilution of Convention protections, the letter argues, would therefore carry serious risks for constitutional stability and public confidence.

For the Republic of Ireland, the letter highlights Ireland’s long‑standing role as a defender of the Convention system and stresses that Ireland’s responsibilities as a co‑guarantor of peace on the island are inseparable from the strength and integrity of the ECHR framework.

The letter was organised by FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), based in the Republic of Ireland and the Human Rights Consortium based in Northern Ireland.

Kevin Hanratty, director of the Human Rights Consortium in Northern Ireland, said: “In Northern Ireland, the European Convention on Human Rights is not optional or abstract, it is woven into our constitutional settlement and our peace agreement. Any attempt to weaken, reinterpret or selectively disapply Convention rights risks undermining the foundations of rights protection that support stability and good governance here. Protecting the universality of human rights protections is essential for everyone on this island.”

Eilis Barry, chief executive of FLAC, said: “The European Convention on Human Rights is a practical, living framework that protects people in their everyday interactions with the state – in healthcare, housing, education, policing and the courts. Once we start treating human rights as conditional or negotiable for certain groups, everyone’s rights become less secure. That is why it is so important that Ireland speaks clearly and decisively in defence of the Convention system.”

The letter calls on both governments to reject any political declaration that would narrow or reinterpret Convention rights or rights‑holders, and to instead take active steps to strengthen the Convention system, including by meaningfully engaging with civil society and national human rights institutions.