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⚡️ Russia withdraws from anti-torture convention, ending independent monitoring of detention facilities The withdrawal took effect on November 1. The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture will no longer be able to independently inspect Russian prisons, penal colonies, pre-trial detention centers, and other places of detention. Russia had been a party to the convention since 1998. During that time, the committee conducted 30 visits and inspected more than 450 detention facilities. However, Russian authorities allowed only four reports to be published. This is particularly alarming given the numerous accounts of Ukrainians being tortured in Russian captivity. The UN has documented systematic beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, sexual violence, and abuse of prisoners of war. In a December 2025 report, 185 out of 187 interviewed Ukrainian service members released from captivity reported torture or ill-treatment. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the committee had received reports of torture and ill-treatment in Russia and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. However, it was unable to investigate these allegations on the ground because Russian authorities refused to cooperate.