14 May 2026

Dear Secretary of State,

As human rights organisations, many of us working directly with survivors of torture and witnessing its devastating impacts, we are profoundly concerned that the Chişinău Declaration risks weakening the absolute prohibition on torture.

Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) guarantees that no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. We welcome any affirmation of the commitment to the absolute nature of these protections in the Chişinău Declaration. However, we are concerned that other elements of the Declaration may call this commitment into question.

At the core of Article 3 is the recognition of inalienable human dignity, the foundation of human rights law. Any readiness to place limits on the scope of inhuman or degrading treatment for certain groups risks undermining this cardinal principle.

The principle of non-refoulement is well established across domestic and international law. Article 3 of the ECHR protects against anyone being sent to face a real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. For survivors of torture, assurance of the inviolability of this protection is essential to their ability to feel safe and to heal.

Many of the rights and protections we enjoy today were established in response to atrocities across Europe during the Second World War. In recent years, human rights protections have come under attack in the UK – duplicitously reframed as a threat to security rather than the bedrock of a just and peaceful society. We urge you to resist advancing this agenda by chipping away at our most precious protections.

We are concerned that weakening Article 3 risks undermining the global fight against torture. Any perception that the UK and European partners are willing to roll back absolute protections risks emboldening repressive states across the globe to flout the torture ban and threatens the credibility of international efforts to hold them to account.

With more armed conflicts taking place globally than at any time since the Second World War, there is greater need than ever for vocal affirmation, mirrored with action, of the UK’s unwavering commitment to international law, human rights and the absolute prohibition on torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This must include resolute defence of the ECHR and its underlying principles.

Yours sincerely,

Amnesty International UK
The British Institute of Human Rights
Freedom from Torture
Helen Bamber Foundation
Liberty
REDRESS