On 30 October 2025, the Russian authorities officially informed the Council of Europe that they were denouncing the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ECPT). The denunciation was registered with an entry into force of 1 November 2026 as under Article 22, paragraph 2, of the ECPT, the Russian Federation remains bound by the ECPT for another year.

 

Russia joined the ECPT in 1998. Between 1998 and 2021, the European Anti-Torture Committee (CPT) carried out 30 visits to Russia. However, the Russian authorities have only agreed to the publication of four CPT visit reports and the responses to them. The CPT also issued five public statements on the Russian Federation based on Article 10, paragraph 2, of the ECPT due to a lack of cooperation to improve the situation in light of the Committee’s findings.

The withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the ECPT means that the country no longer accepts any independent external oversight of places of deprivation of liberty.