In recent months,
several Council of Europe member states have portrayed the ECHR and the ECtHR
as obstacles to addressing migration issues in Europe. Some states have openly criticised
the Court, while others have even suggested withdrawing from the
Convention. It is in response to these worrying initiatives, that a number of academics
working in the ECHR law have established
the Agora Group, an independent, pan-European platform committed to open dialogue and balanced,
evidence-based debate on key issues concerning the European Convention on Human
Rights (ECHR). The Agora Group now counts nearly 800 colleagues
from all parts of Europe.It has come to our
attention that the Council of Europe will soon establish an intergovernmental
forum to discuss the concerns of member States as regards the ECtHR and the
interpretation of Convention rights, particularly Articles 3 and 8 ECHR. Discussions
held within the Council of Europe are welcome. However, the Agora Group has prepared an open
letter to call on all those involved to ensure that such discussions are
conducted in good faith and in a manner that respects the independence of
the Court and the object and purpose of the Convention and the Statute of the
Council of Europe. Failure to do so could significantly undermine the
Convention system as a whole.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, and considering the importance of
these initiatives from a large number of states, we invite all experts and
academics working in the field of human rights to consider signing this open
letter from the AGORA Group to the Council of Europe leadership. The letter
will be formally issued to the Council of Europe next week.
Click here to read and sign the open letter.
