Russia’s withdrawal from anti-torture convention takes effect, ending independent detention monitoring
Russia’s withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture took effect on 1 November 2026, one year after Moscow notified the Council of Europe of its decision. The move ends the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture’s mandate to monitor places of deprivation of liberty in Russia. The committee will continue its work in 46 Council of Europe member states, including Ukraine.
Key points
- Russia notified the Council of Europe of its decision to denounce the convention on 30 October 2025.
- The withdrawal took effect on 1 November 2026 under Article 22.
- Russia’s State Duma supported the draft denouncing the convention on 17 September 2025.
- The convention had required Russia to prevent torture within its jurisdiction and barred extraditing people to countries where they could face torture.
- The committee conducted 30 visits to Russia between 1998 and 2021, visiting more than 450 places of deprivation of liberty.
- Only four visit reports were published; unpublished materials covered 10 visits to Chechnya and the North Caucasus between 2000 and 2017.
- The committee will continue its mandate in 46 Council of Europe member states.
Why it matters
The withdrawal ends independent European monitoring of detention facilities in Russia. The gap is particularly significant because the committee received numerous reports of alleged torture and ill-treatment by Russian officials in detention facilities in Russia and on occupied Ukrainian territory but could not verify them through visits. Russia was also the only convention participant that systematically refused publication of the committee’s reports and its replies.
What happened
Russia officially left the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture on 1 November 2026. The country had notified the Council of Europe of its decision to denounce the convention on 30 October 2025, and the withdrawal became effective one year later under Article 22. Its exit ends the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture’s mandate to monitor places of deprivation of liberty in Russia. The committee will continue operating in 46 Council of Europe member states.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage emphasizes that Russia’s departure leaves no independent committee monitoring of detention facilities in the country. The committee says it received numerous reports of alleged torture and ill-treatment by Russian officials in Russia and on occupied Ukrainian territory, but Russian authorities refused cooperation and prevented independent assessment. Ukraine, by contrast, allows committee visits to any place of deprivation of liberty at any time chosen by the committee and automatically publishes the visit reports.
How international sources describe it
International coverage focuses on the formal legal timetable: Russia notified the Council of Europe on 30 October 2025, and its withdrawal took effect one year later. Attention is also drawn to the history of limited transparency, with 30 committee visits, more than 450 detention facilities visited, and only four reports published. The wider institutional consequence is that independent oversight in Russia has ended, while the committee continues monitoring in 46 Council of Europe member states.
Background
Russia participated in the convention from 1998. The convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1984 and requires participating states to prevent torture within their jurisdiction and prohibits extraditing people to countries where they could face torture. Between 1998 and 2021, the committee conducted 30 visits to Russia and visited more than 450 places of deprivation of liberty. Russia systematically refused to permit publication of most visit reports and responses; only four reports were published. Unpublished materials included reports on 10 visits to Chechnya and the North Caucasus between 2000 and 2017.