Russia's withdrawal from the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ECPT) does not mean it is abandoning its international obligations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, referring to the treaty that ceased to apply to Russia on November 1. "Russia's withdrawal from the 1987 Convention does not mean that it refuses to fulfill its international obligations to prevent torture. Russia has also assumed these obligations at a 'higher', universal level: relevant provisions are contained in both the 1984 Convention Against Torture and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," she said.

Russia's withdrawal from the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ECPT) does not mean it is abandoning its international obligations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, referring to the treaty that ceased to apply to Russia on November 1. "Russia's withdrawal from the 1987 Convention does not mean that it refuses to fulfill its international obligations to prevent torture. Russia has also assumed these obligations at a 'higher', universal level: relevant provisions are contained in both the 1984 Convention Against Torture and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," she said.