Russia officially withdraws from European Convention for Prevention of Torture
Illustrative photo: Monitoring of places of detention in Russia will come to an end (Getty Images)
Russia has officially withdrawn from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, ending all independent monitoring of places of detention in the country, according to a statement by the Council of Europe.
Russian authorities officially notified the Council of Europe of their decision to denounce the convention on October 30, 2025. Under Article 22 of the document, a country's withdrawal takes effect one year after the date of notification.
Russia had been a party to the agreement since 1998. During that time, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) conducted 30 visits to Russia and inspected more than 450 places of detention.
Refusal to ensure transparency and the situation after the invasion
Russia was the only state party that systematically refused to publish reports following the committee's visits.
During the years of cooperation, only four reports were authorized for publication, while 10 documents concerning Chechnya and the North Caucasus (2000–2017) remained confidential.
Following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the committee received numerous reports of torture and ill-treatment by Russian forces, both in occupied territories and within Russia itself.
However, due to the lack of cooperation, these allegations could not be verified on the ground. Ukraine, by contrast, continues to fully cooperate with the CPT and ensure transparency.
Council of Europe's response
CPT President Alan Mitchell stressed the consequences of this move for Russia's prison system.
"The Russian Federation's withdrawal means the end of the CPT's monitoring mandate in the country. It also means the cessation of any independent monitoring of places of detention on the territory of the Russian Federation," he said.
The committee will continue its work in the Council of Europe's 46 other member states to protect the rights of people in detention.
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence previously reported on the horrific scale of torture in Russian captivity.
According to intelligence data, at least 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war released from Russian torture chambers and camps had suffered various forms of abuse and violence.
