Russia withdraws from the Convention against Torture: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called it an admission of crimes

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that Russia's decision to withdraw from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture is effectively an admission by Russia of such crimes and a desire to avoid responsibility for them. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, writes UNN.

Details

The Ukrainian agency emphasized that this step by the Russian authorities is effectively a confirmation of the reputation of a terrorist state that systematically violates human rights and lawlessness, humiliating human honor and dignity. The Convention, which Moscow is abandoning, had a unique preventive mechanism: regular and unannounced inspections of places of detention by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (ECPT), which allowed direct verification of the conditions of detention of people.

However, Russia has sabotaged the implementation of the Convention for years, not allowing international experts and effectively blocking the activities of the ECPT. This, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is part of a broader practice of concealing crimes, including refusing full access of the Red Cross to places of detention for prisoners of war. Thus, Moscow is trying to "close" any channels of international control and hide the scale of torture, restoring the image of an "empire of prisons."

Since February 2022, Ukraine has systematically insisted and continues to insist on Russia's exclusion from all cooperation mechanisms within the Council of Europe. This is due to a deep understanding of the fact that Russia has turned into a totalitarian state with an abundance of repressive apparatus that systematically violates human rights, undermines democracy, and disregards the rule of law.

Ukraine reminds that a country that uses torture as an instrument of policy cannot be a party to the Convention, which unites democratic states. The aggressor's responsibility for crimes must be inevitable.  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called on the international community to react to such a step by the Russians, using international mechanisms and sanctions.  

Recall

The Russian government proposes to denounce the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture. This decision will allow Russia to withdraw from an international human rights protection instrument.

Russia's intentions to withdraw from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture could lead to the removal of pressure mechanisms previously applied against the aggressor state. This puts Ukrainians, both military and civilian, who are in Russian places of detention at risk – stated Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.