The state of human rights in Russia has worsened since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia, who pointed to instances of torture and the involvement of healthcare professionals in abuses.
The UN expert, Mariana Katzarova, stated that Russian authorities have carried out a systematic crackdown on dissent since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
“The human rights situation has steadily deteriorated, marking a seismic decline,” Katzarova concluded in her report, which was released last week and is set to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
During this time, Russian authorities have “escalated their use of criminal prosecutions, lengthy prison sentences, intimidation, torture, and ill-treatment to silence opposition to the war,” the report found.
Katzarova, who was appointed by the Council in 2023, noted that the Russian government portrays “the legitimate exercise of human rights as "existential threats to security'” and labels critics as “enemies of the state.”
She further highlighted that Russian authorities have “dismantled the independence of institutions, placing the judiciary, lawmakers, and law enforcement under direct political control.”
This control, she remarked, “has transformed public institutions into tools of repression and war.” The report also condemned “the persistent, systematic, and large-scale use of torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement."
