International UN expert denounces systematic torture in Russia

In a new report, a UN expert accuses Russia of systematically torturing domestic critics and enemy soldiers.

The paper documents "how torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are used as state-sanctioned instruments of systemic repression in the Russian Federation", according to a report presented in New York.

It was drawn up by the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia, Mariana Katzarova. Although special rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Secretary-General, they work independently of the organs of the United Nations. Russia had not granted Katzarova access for her research, but she and her team had obtained the information through contacts with human rights groups and other sources.

Torture is "not a new phenomenon in the Russian Federation, but now it has become a concerted strategy after the complete invasion (of Ukraine)", said the Bulgarian. "An instrument to suppress the civil space, to silence all war critics or dissidents who disagree with the policy of the Russian authorities and their so-called special military operation."

Torture with a method

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, torture has spread "as an instrument of repression at home and abroad", the report continued. The authorities rarely have to account for their actions and impunity has become commonplace. There are at least 1,300 political prisoners in Russia - but the number could be as high as 1,700 or more. Among them are 30 journalists.

In addition, thousands of Ukrainians have probably also been brought to Russia. "They are rotting in Russian prisons, held without contact with the outside world, tortured, subjected to electric shocks - everything from electric shocks to rape and sexual violence," says Katzarova.

Russia not only tolerates the torture of prisoners, but actively uses it as a method "to extract confessions, punish dissent and maintain control", the report said.

Horrible tortures with innocent names

According to the report, torturers use a range of cruel methods, some of which have innocent names, but are associated with cruel torture for the victims. New prisoners are brutally beaten and humiliated under the name "reception". In the "diver" torture method, drowning is simulated and the victim's head is held under water in a bucket or toilet for a long time.

Prisoners are also hung upside down from a ceiling or their supposed execution is staged. Sexualized violence such as the rape of inmates with rubber batons, broomsticks or bottles is also widespread. The torture method known as "Call Putin" involves electric shocks to sensitive parts of the body such as the genitals. The procedure probably got its name because a modified military field telephone is sometimes used.

Putin's role?

Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin did not directly accuse the special rapporteur. "President Putin is a person who heads the government of the Russian Federation," said Katzarova. "Then there is a whole system. The judiciary is involved. The lawmakers are involved."

The UN expert emphasized that torture in Russia is no longer only carried out secretly and hidden in back rooms. The terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall event center in Moscow in March marked a point: the suspects were presented in court with clear signs of torture without the responsible judge asking about the state of health of the alleged perpetrators.

SDA