Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe Convention against Torture: why it matters

Russia has officially withdrawn from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This decision ended the mandate of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture to monitor places of detention in Russia.

This is reported by the Council of Europe.

It is noted that Russia has been a party to the Convention since 1998.

The Council of Europe reported that after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture received numerous reports of alleged cases of torture and ill-treatment in places of detention in the Russian Federation and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

According to the committee, Russia has refused to cooperate. As a result, the organization’s representatives cannot confirm or deny reports of torture in Russian prisons.

Alan Mitchell, president of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, said that Russia’s withdrawal marks the end of the organization’s monitoring mandate in the country.

“The withdrawal of the Russian Federation marks the end of the CPT’s monitoring mandate in the country. It also marks the end of any independent monitoring of places of detention within the Russian Federation,” said Alan Mitchell.

Recall that the “Book of Executioners” identified 49 judges of the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don and the 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow who sentenced Ukrainian prisoners . Only 26 judges of the Southern Court have issued at least 128 guilty verdicts since August 1, 2022, and another 150 cases against Ukrainians are pending before them.

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