Russia withdrew from the Convention on the Prevention of Torture — Putin signed a decree

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has signed a law denouncing the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Punishment.

This was reported by the Russian propaganda outlet TASS.

According to propagandists, this decision was made allegedly due to the Council of Europeʼs refusal to elect a new member of the committee from Russia.

They noted that such actions "undermine the work of the mechanism for mutual monitoring of compliance with international obligations in the field of protection against torture".

• Following the invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe, of which it had been a member for 26 years. Since then, the country has remained a party to the Convention against Torture only in name. Russia has not taken any real part in the work of the ECtHR and has not allowed the Committeeʼs experts to enter its territory to study and document the situation with torture.
• Also, an independent international commission to investigate violations in Ukraine stated that the Russian authorities are committing torture, which qualifies as crimes against humanity.
• Since February 2022, Ukraine has systematically insisted on the exclusion of Russia from all cooperation mechanisms within the Council of Europe.
• On September 17, 2025, the State Duma of the Russian Federation denounced the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Punishment, as well as two protocols to it.

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