Russia withdraws from European anti-torture convention
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Monday (Sep 29) signed a law pulling Russia out of a European anti-torture convention, continuing Moscow’s withdrawal from Western institutions since the start of its war in Ukraine.
Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in March 2022 but had technically remained a party to the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture. The treaty allows international monitors to visit prisons and detention centres to safeguard the rights of people deprived of liberty.
On Monday, Putin signed legislation denouncing the convention. Explanatory notes to the law accused the Council of Europe of “discrimination” for refusing to appoint a Russian representative to statutory bodies.
Russia’s foreign ministry said last month that leaving the treaty would not harm Russian citizens and insisted Moscow “remains committed to its international human-rights obligations.”
HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS
UN special rapporteurs warned the exit “raises red flags about what is going on behind bars” in Russian jails.
The decision comes as international watchdogs continue to accuse Moscow of abuses during its offensive in Ukraine.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe last week said Russia was responsible for “widespread and systematic violations” in its treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including “arbitrary killings.”
The UN rights office has also concluded that Russia subjected Ukrainian civilian detainees to consistent patterns of serious violations of international law.
