Crew Against Torture (Russia)

The „Committee Against Torture“ was probably the most important anti-torture organization in the Russian Federation. The organization and its successor groups have been accused of being „foreign agents“ four times in recent years and entered in the relevant register. It disbanded in June 2022. Since then, its activists have continued to work towards the same goal as „Crew Against Torture“: the abolition of torture in Russia.

Founded in 2000, the committee supported victims of torture with the investigating authorities and in court, helped them to obtain compensation and achieve their rehabilitation. According to Russian newspaper reports (Kommersant), in the first 15 years of its existence, the committee initiated indictments in more than 100 cases against members of the security forces, who were then convicted on the basis of allegations of torture in Russia. The Committee has also prepared and submitted 75 complaints to the European Court of Human Rights.

As in previous years, we are endeavoring to support the work of these human rights activists through information visits. Young employees in particular, who do not yet have international experience, should have the opportunity to come to Berlin, visit prisons and courts, talk to judges, but also to lawyers and NGOs who work here to protect the rights of detainees. Such visits give the activists the opportunity to get to know the everyday life of a constitutional state, make contacts, gain experience and report on their work in Russia themselves, so that we can better understand how things actually work there and how much courage it takes to carry out human rights work in the Russian Federation. And our guests experience themselves as part of the international human rights movement.

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