Sentences for Violence in the rf Are Negligible: a Fine of $670 and a Suspended Sentence

putin has sent a draft law to the state duma on the denunciation of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, which russia joined in 1998. According to the state duma speaker volodin, the document will be considered as a matter of priority. After the withdrawal, the country will not be obliged to allow international inspectors into prisons, and russian prisoners’ complaints to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture will no longer be considered. This is the final step in moscow’s withdrawal from all European human rights institutions.

Despite the amendments to the Criminal Code in 2022 that toughened penalties for torture, judicial practice shows minimal results: in 2023, only eight people were convicted, in 2024 – ten, of whom six were military personnel and only two were law enforcement officers. At the same time, under the old classification of “abuse of authority with the use of violence”, 377 convictions were handed down last year.

Most convicts receive suspended sentences, while actual punishments are usually limited to 3–5 years. In more than half of cases, fines are imposed – approximately $670. Many defendants avoid trial altogether by signing contracts to participate in the war against Ukraine.

According to statistics, 55 % of defendants in “torture” cases are military personnel, 39 % are employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while the Federal Penitentiary Service appears in only 2.6 % of convictions. This is linked to the fusion of the investigative and penitentiary systems, where “persuading” prisoners to confess is officially allowed.