Russia has officially withdrawn from European Convention for the Prevention of Torture
On October 30, 2025, the Russian authorities notified the Council of Europe of their decision to denounce the Convention for the Prevention of Torture.
This was reported by the Council of Europe’s press service, according to Censor.NET.
In accordance with Article 22 of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, withdrawal from the Convention takes effect one year after the date of notification.
"The withdrawal of the Russian Federation marks the end of the CPT’s monitoring mandate in the country. It also marks the end of any independent monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty inside the Russian Federation," said Committee Chair Alan Mitchell.
The Russian Federation has been a party to the Convention since 1998. Between 1998 and 2021, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture conducted 30 visits to the Russian Federation, during which it inspected more than 450 places of detention.
"However, the Russian Federation was the only State Party to have a stated policy of not authorising the publication of CPT visit reports and the responses to them, while all other European countries advocated greater transparency.
Consequently, only four visit reports were authorised for publication. The unpublished reports relate to periodic and ad hoc visits, including 10 visits to Chechnya and the North Caucasus between 2000 and 2017," they noted.
Following the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Committee received numerous reports of alleged cases of torture and ill-treatment of detainees by Russian officials.
This concerns not only Ukraine’s occupied territories but also the territory of the Russian Federation itself. However, due to the Russian authorities’ refusal to cooperate, the Committee was unable to visit Russia to verify the situation firsthand.
"This lack of cooperation contrasts with that of the Ukrainian authorities who continue to allow visits by the CPT to any place of deprivation of liberty within its territory at any moment of choosing by the Committee. Moreover, Ukraine promotes transparency through the continued automatic publication of CPT reports," the Council of Europe concluded.
Background
- In August 2025, it was reported that the Russian government had proposed to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that he withdraw from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, which was adopted back in 1987.
- In September 2025, Putin signed a law denouncing the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Humiliating Treatment.
