Gianna Rocca

Block 2
Project II- Part I
Right to be Free from Torture and Degrading Punishment Essay
According to the Institute of Modern Russia, Gross abuses of human rights, a
lack of political and civic freedoms, and unjust persecutions have become the norm in
Vladimir Putins Russia. In other words, government intimidation, government
corruption, of the manipulation of courts, of torture, and of the institutionalization of
oppression by Vladimir Putins government as part of his plan to rule through the
destruction of Russian civil society.
As of May of 2011, Russia was ranked among the top ten of the most dangerous
countries in the world. Likewise, Russia has undergone a massive rise in crime during the
past ten years. In fact, Russia is a highly corrupt country at all official levels, which
undermines the observance of the rule of law. For an example, the scale of and impunity
for torture and cruel treatment used by law-enforcement agencies seriously endanger life
and health, rights and freedoms of Russian people, justice, fundamentals of civil society
and State. Nevertheless, Russia indulges in violating its human rights policy. These
violations include widespread and systematic torture of persons in custody by police,
dedovshchina in Russian Army, neglect and cruelty in Russian orphanages, violations of
children's rights. There is also discrimination, racism, and murders of members of ethnic
minorities.
In addition, the Russian legal system is so tortuous that people can find themselves
detained for months or years even on minor charges. The Russian penitentiary system has
a population of more than a million in the world and is one of the largest. Prisons are
underfinanced, overcrowded and alarmingly unsanitary. And the Russian system is
arguably one of the worst. Russian courts operate on the European inquisitorial model
rather than the American adversarial system. By operating under the European
inquisitorial, Russian officials are able to put an additional strain on overloaded judges
and narrow the defendants' chances.
On the bright side, EU governments have publicly criticized the human rights
situation in Russia. Officials of many foreign governments and intergovernmental
organizations also voiced strong concerns about the anti-LGBT propaganda law.
Beginning in 2012, Russian authorities finally continued the crackdown on civil society
and government critics. Russia is a party to three civilizing treaties known as the
European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel/ Inhuman or Degrading

Treatment or Punishment. Under all three treaties Russia has obligations to prohibit all
forms of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, to punish those who resort to such
actions, and to ensure that no evidence obtained in violation of the prohibition can be
used in courts. It wasnt until January 16, 2015, the Russian Ministry of Justice added
Civil Rights Defenders long-term partner Committee against Torture, known as CAT to
the register of foreign agents. The Committee against Torture was added because it
spreads information interpreted as negative by the authorities when it collects and
publishes evidence of police torture or criticizes investigative agencies for failing to
properly investigate such torture.
Overall, the authorities and law enforcement agencies prefer to neglect the
problem but not to look for ways of improvement of the situation. In this case, there is
need for independent national mechanisms of control over it and influence from the side
of international human rights organizations and other democratic countries.