‘Who’s it going to be next time?’: ECHR rethink is ‘moral retreat’, say rights experts

As 27 European countries urge changes to laws forged after second world war, human rights chief says politicians are playing into hands of populists

The battle had been brewing for months. But this week it came to a head in a flurry of meetings, calls and one heady statement. Twenty-seven European countries urged a rethink of the human rights laws forged after the second world war, describing them as an impediment when it came to addressing migration.

Amnesty International has called it a moral retreat". Europe's most senior human rights official said the approach risked creating a hierarchy of people" where some are seen as more deserving of protection than others.