russia Has Officially Legalized Torture

russia is withdrawing from another key Council of Europe treaty – the Convention Against Torture. prime minister mishustin has signed the relevant decree.

The Convention prohibits torture and obliges states not only to refrain from using it, but also to prevent such practices. To this end, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture has been established, which has the right to inspect prisons, colonies, and psychiatric institutions without hindrance.

After russia’s exclusion from the Council of Europe in March 2022, its participation in the Convention remained only formal. The Committee has repeatedly stated that moscow ignores requests for monitoring visits.

This is not the first such step: russia has already denounced the European Convention on Human Rights, and since 2023, the Statute of the Council of Europe, the European Social Charter, and a number of other agreements have ceased to apply on its territory. In 2024, the rf also withdrew from the Council of Europe Convention for Protection of National Minorities.