Torture is out of focus: Russia plans to withdraw from the Council of Europe convention

The Government of the Russian Federation has taken the initiative to terminate its obligations under the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture. The corresponding proposal has already been submitted to Vladimir Putin for consideration.

This was reported by the state agency TASS.

The convention, signed in 1987, gives the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture the right to visit places of deprivation of liberty — prisons, detention centers, psychiatric hospitals — in member states. In the event of a final withdrawal from it, Russia would completely deprive the committee of access to its territory.

Thus, the Russian side plans to abandon key provisions of the document, in particular:

open access to all institutions where prisoners are held;

providing full information about the conditions of their detention;

the rights of committee representatives to move freely within such facilities.

Currently, countries can temporarily restrict visits due to emergencies or security considerations, but denunciation would mean Russia’s complete exemption from these requirements.

This is another step towards the final severance of ties with European human rights structures. Recall that in March 2022, after the start of a large-scale war against Ukraine, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe.

Recall that the United Nations already has evidence of numerous cases of sexual violence against Ukrainians, including prisoners of war.

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