Ukrainian ombudsman Lubinets says torture is part of Kremlin state policy

Russia’s withdrawal from the European Convention on the Prevention of Torture confirms that torment is a tool of Kremlin state policy, the Ukrainian parliament’s human rights commissioner said, reports Ukrainska Pravda.

Dmytro Lubinets made the comment after Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin signed a law on Sept. 29 that formally removes Russia out of the international treaty.

“This decision is not merely a legal formality. It is a deliberate move that removes the last ‘masks’ and confirms that torture is an element of Kremlin state policy,” Lubinets said.

The convention, adopted by the UN in 1984, obliges countries to prevent torture and not extradite people to places where they may face danger. Russia joined in 1996, and the treaty entered into force for the country in 1998.

The Kremlin is deliberately avoiding international oversight, which deprives the world of ways to respond to evidence of torture in Russian prisons and in temporarily occupied territories where Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians are held.

“This is also a clear political signal that Moscow does not recognize European standards and no longer feels bound to follow rules that protect human dignity. Under wartime conditions, such rejection of oversight mechanisms inevitably increases the risks of mass and systemic human rights violations,” Lubinets said.

In response, the international community must use the tools that remain in place. Russia remains a party to the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture, so UN mechanisms and the International Committee of the Red Cross should be engaged more actively, Lubinets added.

“It is crucial to continue documenting torture, submitting evidence to the International Criminal Court, intensifying targeted sanctions against those responsible, supporting victims, and aiding human rights defenders fighting this battle,” he said.

Lubinets said that the path Russia has chosen is that of a repressive, murderous state.

“The denunciation of the convention only confirms that torture and inhumane treatment are systemic practices of the Kremlin,” he said.

Following its withdrawal, Russia will be able to bar international inspectors from its prisons, and complaints from Russian inmates will no longer be reviewed by the European committee. 

The Kremlin justified the move by claiming that since 2023, Russia has not had a representative on the committee because the Council of Europe blocked the appointment and allegedly ignored Moscow’s requests to restore its representation.