In Russia, dozens of dissenters are held as psychiatric patients

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

In Russia, dozens of dissenters are held as psychiatric patients

Mark Trevelyan and Lucy Papachristou
Thu, February 20, 2025 at 2:03 AM EST 8 min read

LONDON (Reuters) - Dozens of Russians are being subjected to compulsory psychiatric treatment because of their political views, according to lawyers and human rights groups - a trend they say has gathered pace since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The practice carries echoes of a method of control used widely in the Soviet Union and known as "punitive psychiatry", even if the current scale falls far short of that seen from the late 1960s until the early 1980s.

For this story, Reuters analysed data from an international expert and two Russian human rights groups, interviewed three lawyers and reviewed case materials of two female activists sent by court order to undergo psychiatric assessments at a Siberian hospital.

-snip-

Yekaterina Fatyanova, 37, was interned on April 28 last year at the KKPND No.1 psychiatric hospital in her home city of Krasnoyarsk after being accused of discrediting the Russian armed forces by publishing an article in a small opposition newspaper she ran in her spare time. She was not the author of the piece, which argued the war in Ukraine was driven by imperialist motives.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-dozens-dissenters-held-psychiatric-070316987.html

[marble falls]

1. This is a classic treatment of dissidents by the Russians ...

... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry_in_Russia

[Irish_Dem]

2. This has long been the case, and the world psychiatric community has censored them for it.

[KimarN]

3. Russia is not alone

I'm (native) Hungarian and victim of politically motivated psychiatric fraud attempt (it started in 2015). I was born in 1972 into a family of victims of communist crimes. And in 2015 when I went to the family doctor to renew my driving licence then the family doctor corruptly wanted to send me to psychiatric examination. I told her I only accept independent psychiatric examination where present and former communists etc can't be present for reason to prevent prejudice, bias.. But the family doctor and other authorities and hen later other family doctors and authorities etc denied this right, they said it was long ago under communism etc therefore those human rights crimes expired, and "nobody cares that "stupid" law". I was even told to leave my country (to be immigrant while Orban PM has been running war on the illegal immigrants)..
They corrupted my health documents and health history with false medical reports, because of this for example I can't work legally, therefore I've no income and my mother pays for my food. Oh and I called the Ombudsman on phone in 2015 and they said "I'm not saying you're the first with case like yours but we don't have records about cases like yours"..

[Irish_Dem]

4. Yes other countries do it to. Use psychiatry as a weapon to punish and control people.

The mental health community in democratic countries is appalled.
But under Trump, it may start happening here.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Welcome to DU

[Lulu KC]

6. If we actually had enough psychiatrists it could happen here

I am sorry this happened to you. What a nightmare.

[marble falls]

7. Surely someone in your community can help you.