Moscow has taken another step towards international isolation. Russia has launched the process of withdrawing from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.
The step further dismantles its ties with Europe's human rights framework and raises risks of inhuman treatment for prisoners, including Ukrainian POWs and abducted civilians.
Since 2014, Russia has violated over 400 international agreements, and since 2022, it has ignored 22 fundamental international documents. These include violations of:
- The Geneva Conventions
- The 1994 Budapest Memorandum
- The 1997 Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership with Ukraine
At the same time, Moscow has been found guilty by international courts for grave violations, including unlawful detention, forced displacement, torture, and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, killing 298 civilians.
Putin submits withdrawal bill to the Russian parliament
Recently, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma a draft law denouncing the convention. If adopted, the move would relieve Russia of its obligation to admit international inspectors to its prisons.
It will also bar the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture from receiving complaints from Russian inmates.
Kremlin cites lack of representation
In an explanatory note, the Kremlin argued that Russia has had no representative in the European anti-torture committee since 2023, following the Council of Europe's blockage of the election of a new Russian member. Moscow has claimed its appeals for reinstatement were ignored.
In reality, the Council of Europe expelled Russia from the organization in March 2022, shortly after the start of the all-out war against Ukraine. Despite this, Russia remains formally obliged to comply with European Court of Human Rights rulings issued before its expulsion. The Kremlin, however, has openly stated it will ignore them.
The convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1984, obliges member states to prevent torture within their jurisdiction and prohibits extradition to countries where individuals face the risk of torture. Russia ratified the treaty in 1996, with its provisions taking effect two years later.
Part of a broader retreat from human rights commitments
Moscow's withdrawal continues a broader pattern: last year, Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe's Convention on the Rights of National Minorities.
Earlier, Euromaidan Press reported that Russia had suspended monitoring of facilities holding Ukrainian POWs, where electrocution and beatings have become routine.
