Russian Prisons without European Inspections: the Kremlin Withdraws from the Anti-Torture Convention

as of 1 November 2026 the Russian Federation’s exit from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture ended the committee’s mandate to carry out inspections in the country.

Russia has officially withdrawn from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The decision took effect on 1 November 2026 — against the backdrop of reports of torture of Ukrainians in Russian places of detention and in occupied territories.

The Council of Europe announced Russia’s termination of participation in the treaty. The practical consequence is the end of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture’s monitoring mandate in Russia. This mechanism provided for visits to places of detention to assess treatment of people and to prevent cruelty.

Moscow officially notified of its denunciation on 30 October 2025. The withdrawal took effect after the period specified by the treaty. From now on the committee no longer has treaty-based powers to carry out such inspections in Russia.

Transparency problems arose long before this decision. According to the Council of Europe, Russian authorities allowed only four reports from the committee’s visits to be made public. A large portion of findings about detention conditions remained closed to the public.

After the start of the full-scale invasion the committee received numerous reports of alleged torture and ill-treatment by Russian officials. They concerned both Russia itself and the occupied Ukrainian territories. Because Moscow refused to cooperate, experts were unable to come to verify these reports on site.

At the same time, withdrawing from the European treaty does not abolish the prohibition on torture and does not absolve Russian officials of responsibility. Mykyta Poturaiev, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, emphasized that this prohibition is absolute and allows no justification even during wartime.

Thus, the main change concerns international oversight: the specific mechanism of independent visits is ending. This does not mean that torture becomes legal or that evidence of such crimes can no longer be collected and used to hold perpetrators accountable.

Recall that StopCor reported that the Security Service of Ukraine announced suspicions against a Russian prison guard for torturing prisoners in the Vyazma pretrial detention center. According to the investigation, the suspect used physical violence and an electroshock device against Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The editorial office also wrote about documenting torture in Russian Penal Colony No. 10 in Mordovia. Ukrainian law enforcement identified an inspector suspected of physical and psychological abuse of prisoners.