Russia withdraws from the European Convention against torture, ending independent monitoring of its prisons

Russia has officially withdrawn from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, with the decision taking effect on Monday. The Council of Europe warns that the withdrawal brings an end to independent monitoring of Russian prisons and detention centers.

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture can no longer verify how detainees are treated in Russia. Moscow announced its intention to leave the convention last year, justifying the decision by stating that it could no longer participate in the committee’s work.

Russia joined the convention in the late 1990s. Between 1998 and 2021, the committee carried out 30 missions and visited approximately 450 detention centers. However, Russia allowed the reports to be published in only four cases, according to the European body.

After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the committee was no longer allowed to conduct visits to Russia. The organization repeatedly received reports of torture and abuses committed in Russia and in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces.