🔻Urgent Alert: Russia Withdraws from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture – What This Means for Combatants Fighting for Ukraine Out of Conviction 📢Dear friends and supporters,We at Farari Human Rights Organization are deeply alarmed by Russia’s latest step away from international human rights standards. On September 29, 2025, President Vladimir Putin signed a law formally withdrawing Russia from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ECPT). This follows Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe in 2022 and continues its systematic disengagement from European human rights mechanisms.This withdrawal is directly linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Foreign volunteers fighting on Ukraine’s side – often motivated by ideology and conviction (defending democracy, freedom, and sovereignty) – are integrated into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) or the International Legion. Under international humanitarian law (Geneva Conventions), they are lawful combatants, not mercenaries, as their primary drive is not financial gain.Yet Russia routinely labels them “mercenaries” or “terrorists,” subjecting captured fighters to torture, unfair trials, and even death sentences. The ECPT allowed the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to conduct unannounced visits to detention facilities – the last one was in 2022. Now, with no independent monitoring, Russia creates a “black hole” for human rights, where systematic torture of Ukrainian POWs and civilians (documented by the UN, EU, and others) can occur with total impunity.Why this makes extraditing or transferring these ideological combatants to Russia absolutely impossible:1. Geneva Conventions (Third Convention, Article 12): Prisoners of war cannot be transferred to the enemy during conflict unless the receiving party guarantees compliance. Documented cases of electric shocks, beatings, and forced confessions against Ukrainian POWs – now without CPT oversight – make any transfer a direct violation.2. Principle of Non-Refoulement (UN Convention Against Torture, Article 3): No one can be sent to a country where there are substantial grounds to believe they will face torture. Russia’s withdrawal eliminates independent access to prisons, confirming the grave risk. UN experts have highlighted systematic torture as a “state-sanctioned tool” in Russia.3. Risk of Unfair Trials and Execution: Russia has imposed death sentences or life imprisonment on foreign fighters (e.g., cases in 2022 and 2025). Ideological motivations are twisted into “terrorism” charges, often extracted under torture, with no recourse to the European Court of Human Rights.4. Broader Human Rights Obligations: Even outside the ECPT, universal norms bind Russia – but this move signals complete impunity. The UN warns of severe risks to all detainees, including on occupied Ukrainian territories.In practice: POW exchanges between Ukraine and Russia continue, but forced extradition from third countries is prohibited to avoid complicity in violations.Russia claims this is about “sovereignty” and “discrimination” in the Council of Europe – but we see it as shielding repression. The EU, UN, and human rights defenders view it as proof of disregard for human dignity.🚨 What can we do? Support petitions to protect POWs, share this post, demand accountability for war crimes, and stand with Ukraine! Join Farari in the fight for justice.#HumanRights #NoToTorture #StandWithUkraine #ProtectPOWs #StopRussianAggressionShare your thoughts or stories in the comments – together, we can make a difference! https://www.facebook.com/share/16NM2epXoM/?mibextid=wwXIfr