At its Human Rights meeting from 15 to 17 September, the Committee of Ministers ended its supervision of the Petukhov (No.2) group of cases (including 21 repetitive cases), which concerned the systemic problem of the irreducibility of life sentences in Ukraine (violations of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment – Article 3 of the Convention). In its judgment, the Court indicated that Ukraine was required to establish the system for reviewing whole-life sentences.
The Committee welcomed the significant progress achieved by the Ukrainian authorities, despite the ongoing aggression by the Russian Federation, in implementing the complex legal reform establishing a Convention-compliant mechanism of review of life sentences. The information provided by the authorities showed that the new mechanism functions effectively, as confirmed by the Court’s findings in its 2025 judgment in the Medvid case. The Committee further acknowledged the authorities’ commitment to pursue strengthening rehabilitation measures for prisoners.
