Disability Law

Involuntary Commitment of Activists in Psych Wards in Russia

By Danielle

The Moscow Times reports that opposition activist Roman Nikolaichik has been confined in a mental ward in Russia:

Nikolaichik’s detention echoes similar cases over the past year that human rights organizations have criticized as a step toward Soviet-era repression tactics. In December, human rights groups said Andrei Novikov, a reporter for a news service connected to the Chechen separatist government, had been released after nine months in a psychiatric hospital. Last summer, Larisa Arap, an Other Russia activist and journalist, spent six weeks in a psychiatric clinic.

Which law enforcement agency questioned Nikolaichik and sent him to the hospital was unclear Monday.

Novikov and Svetovidov said Tver region prosecutors tried to charge Nikolaichik with attempted murder while questioning him on Monday. Svetovidov, citing Nikolaichik’s relatives, said that after questioning, a doctor declared the activist mentally unstable and ordered him to undergo treatment.

Note: This is old news, but my blogging software has been broken for a while now. I am posting it late to test the upgraded software.

Full post as published by Mental Disability Law Blog on April 13, 2008 (boomark / email).