On September 29, President Vladimir Putin signed a law withdrawing Russia from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. According to the document, Moscow argues that it has lost the ability to fully participate in the activities of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and therefore maintaining membership has become “meaningless”.

The European Convention was signed in 1987 and entered into force for Russia in 1998. It provided for regular visits by independent experts to places of detention to monitor respect for human rights.

Following Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe in 2022, its participation in the work of the Convention’s mechanisms was effectively frozen.

Critics note that the decision to withdraw from the Convention reduces the level of international oversight of human rights protection in the country. Russian authorities, however, claim that the mechanisms of the Council of Europe have become “politicized” and are being “used against Russia”.

In effect, Russia is depriving itself of an international tool that ensured transparency in its penitentiary system. For the authorities, this is a convenient step amid mounting pressure from the war and mobilization processes. However, for society and the international community, it appears as a signal of further rollback of human rights safeguards.

The withdrawal from the Convention may intensify criticism of Moscow from the UN and other international organizations, and could also become another argument for Russia’s opponents in international courts and tribunals.

#RUSSIA

30.09.2025 06:52