Torture and violence by security forces

Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise

Beaten or tortured by security forces

Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.

Now: if you are detained, demand an ambulance — the police must call one. Note the time, place, officers' descriptions and names, how and with what you were beaten, and any witnesses.
Within 24 hours: have injuries recorded at an emergency clinic or hospital, with each one described in detail. A forensic medical examination (paid) is the most reliable. Photograph the marks over several days.
Human rights groups advise filing the crime report with the Investigative Committee, not the police, in person — and asking for the registration receipt.
Next: a refusal to open a case can be challenged in court or with senior Investigative Committee officials. If there is no remedy at home, a UN complaint is possible — see the note on international complaints.
Where to turn: Committee Against Torture team, Public Verdict, First Department. Psychological support: First Line, Nora.

current as of September 25. More: First Department: what to do if security forces beat you (foreign agent); OVD-Info: I was beaten by the police (extremist)

Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise

Complaints to the UN and ECHR after Russia left the Council of Europe

Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.

The ECHR only accepts complaints about violations before 16 September 2022. Russia doesn't currently comply with its judgments, but they put violations on record.
For later violations there's the UN Human Rights Committee: you must go through four instances (first, appeal, two cassations), the filing deadline is 5 years, and registration takes about a year.
In February 2026 the Supreme Court called the UN Committee's interim measures non-binding — but not its final decisions. Human rights groups say complaints are still worth filing.
It's best to prepare with a lawyer from the start: violations must be raised in Russian courts first, or the UN may not consider them.
Where to turn: Memorial, the Institute for Law and Public Policy, First Department.

current as of September 25. More: OVD-Info: the ECHR now and the alternatives (extremist); First Department: the Supreme Court and UN Committee decisions (foreign agent)