Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted a draft law to the Russian parliament proposing the country’s withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, reported today by TASS.
The Russian news agency cited parliamentary databases while referring to Moscow’s rejection of the European Convention.
The European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment was adopted in 1987 by the Council of Europe and entered into force two years later, in 1989. Unlike the European Convention on Human Rights, this is an international legal instrument focused on prevention rather than judicial procedures.
The Convention established the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), whose mission is to visit places where people are deprived of liberty—prisons, detention centers, psychiatric institutions, and immigration detention facilities—to monitor conditions and prevent practices that could be considered torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.
These visits can be regular or extraordinary and are conducted without prior notice. The Committee meets with state authorities, inspects the facilities, and then drafts a detailed report with findings and recommendations. While the reports are generally confidential, they can be made public if the state permits it. In cases of serious or systematic violations, the CPT has the right to issue a public statement.
Unlike the European Convention on Human Rights—which explicitly prohibits torture under Article 3 and allows citizens to apply to the European Court of Human Rights—the Prevention Convention focuses on cooperation with states and preventive measures before violations occur, emphasizing prevention rather than post-factum justice.
