Russia

Russia formally leaves Council of Europe's anti-torture convention

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Russia formally leaves Council of Europe's anti-torture convention
The Council of Europe sign with logo next to the stairs leading to the entrance of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. (Getty Images)

Moscow officially withdrew from the Council of Europe's European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on Nov. 1.

The withdrawal comes after Russian authorities notified the Council of Europe of their decision to denounce the convention on Oct. 30, 2025. Under the notification procedure, the denunciation takes effect one year later.

"The withdrawal of the Russian Federation marks the end of the CPT's monitoring mandate in the country," said Alan Mitchell, the president of the CPT, in a statement published by the Council of Europe.

"It also marks the end of any independent monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty inside the Russian Federation."

Despite formally being a signatory of the convention until October, Russia continued committing war crimes in Ukraine's occupied territories, including the torture of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers alike.

Russia's latest systematic abuse of civilians has been its blockade of occupied Oleshky, a town in southern Ukraine just across the Dnipro River from Kherson. Following a six-day ceasefire brokered by the U.S. first lady, Melania Trump, hundreds of evacuees reached Ukrainian territory on Oct. 31.

U.N. human rights monitors have also said that 96% of freed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) they had interviewed underwent torture or abuse in Russian captivity.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the CPT has received numerous accounts of alleged acts of torture at the hands of Russian authorities, the Council of Europe said in its statement.

"However, due to the non-cooperation of the Russian authorities, the CPT has been unable to conduct a visit to the Russian Federation to examine the situation for itself."

Ukraine remains a signatory of the CPT, alongside 45 other member states of the Council of Europe.

Russia left the Council of Europe in 2022 after the body voted on its expulsion in March of that year, weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Yevgeniya Doluda

Yevgeniya Doluda is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, politics, and history from City St. George’s University of London. Yevgeniya previously worked and volunteered with non-profit organizations in Europe and had her work published in RTL. In addition to Ukrainian, she also speaks Spanish and French.

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