Russia Officially Withdraws From Europe’s Anti-Torture Convention

Independent international monitoring of detention facilities in Russia has come to an end with the country’s formal withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, the Council of Europe said on Sunday. In a statement, the Council of Europe said inspectors from the convention had carried out 30 visits to more than 450 detention facilities in Russia during the 23 years it was a member. Russia, however, permitted the publication of only four visit reports over that period. “Russia may authorize the publication of [the remaining] reports at any time,” the statement read, noting that the unpublished reports...