Russia has withdrawn from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, effectively ceasing independent monitoring of its detention facilities, the Council of Europe reported. Russia has been a party to the conference since 1998. After its withdrawal, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture said it would no longer be able to conduct independent inspections in Russian prisons and other detention facilities. Since 2022, the Commission has received numerous reports of alleged torture in Russian prisons and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.