Russias Exit from Anti-Torture Convention Signals Deteriorating Human Rights Landscape

Russia is set to officially exit the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, a decision that some human rights advocates consider to be primarily symbolic, particularly in light of the country’s deteriorating human rights situation.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree suggesting that President Vladimir Putin present the withdrawal proposal to the State Duma, which is the lower chamber of Russia’s parliament. This decree was publicly disclosed on Monday night.

The European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, established in 1987, facilitates inspections of detention centers across member countries. Russia ratified this treaty in 1998, two years following its accession to the Council of Europe, an organization dedicated to promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Russia exited the Council of Europe in March 2022 after being suspended due to its extensive military actions in Ukraine. Later that same year, the country also withdrew from the European Convention on Human Rights, thereby terminating its obligation to comply with rulings from the European Court of Human Rights.

Nonetheless, Russia remains a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture, which it ratified in 1985.

The rights organization Crew Against Torture has cautioned that this withdrawal could exacerbate conditions in Russian prisons. They pointed out that throughout Russia’s nearly three decades in the convention, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture conducted 30 visits and produced 27 reports, of which Moscow only consented to publish four.

According to the NGO, the convention played a significant role in alleviating overcrowding, enhancing conditions in correctional facilities, and ensuring better protections for certain inmates.

“The withdrawal of Russia… signifies the complete dismantling of the European human rights oversight framework within the country. This decision strips prisoners of their last formal international safeguards and lays the groundwork for further deterioration in human rights standards,” the organization stated via Telegram.

A specific date for Russia’s official withdrawal from the treaty has yet to be announced.