Torture in Russia is becoming part of government policy, the head of a defunct anti-torture organization warned on Sunday.
Sergei Babinets, the head of Russia’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture, announced that his organization was disbanding after the government labeled them “foreign agents”. It is the latest indication that Moscow is violating human rights at home and through its invasion of Ukraine.
In a Telegram post, Babinets wrote that he no longer wanted to work under the label, which he described as “insulting and defaming” the Russian government, according to a Moscow Times report.
“Despite the obvious importance of our operation, the authorities have tried for many years to portray it as alien and harmful,” he said in his post, according to the newspaper. “The authorities are sending a signal that torture is the order of the day [or has already become] part of government policy.”
Torture in Russia is becoming part of government policy, warned the head of an anti-torture NGO that disbanded on Sunday. The news came a day after authorities classified the organization as a foreign agent. Above, protesters protest May 5 in support of more than 15,000 anti-war Russians who have been arrested. Stefano Montesi – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
In Russia, the label “foreign agent” is often used against organizations, journalists and opposition figures accused of being funded by foreign governments. Those who wear the label may face penalties or other restrictions, according to the Times.
The committee, set up in 2000, has worked for justice against Russian authorities accused of torture, particularly in Chechnya, which is considered a particularly authoritarian region in Russia where the group had security concerns, according to a 2016 report by The Guardian.
Their work has been complicated by the Russia-Ukraine war, as thousands of Russians have been arrested for protesting the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in late February, Babinets said in a March interview with Civil Rights Defenders.
“Currently, the committee’s work is being increasingly hampered and human rights are practically seen as ‘enemy values,'” he said at the time.
The organization’s press secretary, Natalia Kurekina, in the same interview warned of “alarming” police violence against those involved in anti-war demonstrations, including “ill-treatment” and beatings. She added that the government’s crackdown on the independent media has made it difficult to release this information.
It is the latest indication that the Russian government may be cracking down on human rights. According to OVD-info, an organization that tracks the number of arrests in Russia, at least 15,451 protesters have been arrested so far since the conflict began.
The Russian military also faced allegations of human rights abuses in Ukraine, including attacks on civilians, including in kindergartens and hospitals.
Russia was also suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council in April. The following day, Moscow disbanded more than a dozen human rights organizations in the country.