“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on denunciation of the European Convention on the prevention of torture and inhuman treatment on September 29”, – WRITE: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Today, the Russian president has signed a law on the withdrawal of Russia from the European Convention to Prevent Torture. This solution is not just a formality in the legal plane, but a demonstrative step that removes the latest “masks” and confirms that torture is an element of the Kremlin’s state policy, “Lubinets wrote in a telegram.
He noted that the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture not only prohibits cruel and inhuman treatment, but also provides for control mechanisms. For this purpose, the European Committee on Prevention of Torture, which is entitled to monitoring in places of freedom, operates under the Council of Europe.
“Despite the fact that Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in March 2022, it remained a participant in the Convention, which gave legal grounds for international pressure. Now this opportunity is lost. Denosation means that the Kremlin deliberately avoids international control and deprives the world of response levers to the facts of torture in the prisons of the Russian Federation and in temporarily occupied territories, where Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians are kept, ”he stressed.
“It is also a frank political signal that Moscow does not recognize European standards and no longer undertakes to comply with the rules that protect human dignity. Under war conditions, such rejection of control mechanisms inevitably increases the risks of mass and systemic human rights violations, ”Lubinets added
According to the Ombudsman, in response, the world should use those tools that remain in force, in particular, to activate the work of the UN mechanisms.
“Russia is still a participant in the UN Convention against torture, so it is necessary to intensify the work of the UN mechanisms as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross. It is important to continue to record the crimes of torture and to transmit evidence to the International Criminal Court, to strengthen personal sanctions against the organizers and performers of torture, to support the victims, as well as the human rights activists who are conducting this struggle, ”he said.
On September 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on denunciation of the European Convention on the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman Care. The document was published on the official portal of the legal information of the Russian Federation. Two additional protocols to the Convention are also denounced.
The draft law, prepared by the Russian government, brought to the State Duma of the Russian Federation Putin, it became known on September 8. Already on September 17, the State Duma approved the document.
The explanatory note to the bill stated that since 2023 Russia has no representative in the European Committee on Prevention of Torture. This is due to the fact that the Council of Europe, from which Russia was expelled in 2022, blocked the process of election of a new member of the Committee from the Russian Federation.
The European Convention for the Prevention of Torture was developed by the Council of Europe in 1987. Russia ratified it in 1996 when it became a member of the Council. The document not only prohibits torture, but also introduces a mechanism to prevent torture. Since then, the Committee on Prevention of Torture has regularly visited the Russian colonies and pre -trial detention center, fixing torture and cruel conditions.
After denunciation, Russia is no longer obliged to allow international inspectors. Prisoners’ complaints against the European Committee on Prevention of Torture will not be considered. Independent external control disappears, only the supervision of the Federal Service of the Russian Federation to execute punishments and Russian courts remains.
Representatives of the Russian authorities at the same time state that withdrawal from the Convention does not mean legalization of torture in Russia.
The chairman of the Committee of the Council of the Federation of the Russian Federation on constitutional legislation Andriy Klimas said that Russia remains a participant in other international documents that prohibit torture.
Numerous prisoners of Russian prisons, including prisoners under political articles, have repeatedly stated that they were used torture – during detention, during investigation or detention. The same was evidenced by Ukrainian prisoners of war.