The key facts
- The denunciation of the convention took effect on November 1, 2026, one year after the notification of October 30, 2025
- From 1998 to 2021, the Council of Europe committee made 30 visits to Russia and visited more than 450 places of detention
- The Council of Europe noted that the legislative ban on torture in Russia remains in force
Withdrawal from the convention has been formally completed
Russia has officially ceased its participation in the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The denunciation took effect on November 1, 2026, as reported by the press service of the Council of Europe. Russian authorities notified the organization of their withdrawal on October 30, 2025, and under Article 22 of the document, participation ends one year after such notification — that is exactly the period that has now elapsed.
History of participation and the committee's work in Russia
Russia signed the convention in 1996 after joining the Council of Europe, and it entered into force for the country in 1998. Russia's membership in the Council of Europe itself ended back in 2022, but its participation in the convention continued until now. The convention provided for international monitoring of the conditions in which people are held in places of detention: the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, established under it, sent independent experts who could visit prisons and pre-trial detention facilities, talk to inmates, and prepare reports. According to the Council of Europe, from 1998 to 2021 committee representatives made 30 visits to Russia and visited more than 450 places of detention, while the Russian side allowed only four reports based on the inspection results to be published.
What changes after the denunciation
The Council of Europe stated that Russia's withdrawal means the committee's mandate to monitor places of detention in the country has ended — that is, the practical consequence of the decision is the disappearance of the external inspection mechanism that had been in operation since 1998. At the same time, as the organization emphasized, the denunciation does not repeal the legislative ban on torture in force in Russia. The earlier decision was reported by Life.ru: Vladimir Putin signed the law on denouncing the convention, and the decision itself was explained by Russia's inability to participate fully in the work of the relevant bodies of the Council of Europe, including due to disagreements over the representation of the Russian side.
