Almost 50 Russians sent for forced treatment for political reasons

Russian courts have sent 49 people for compulsory treatment for political reasons, the Memorial Human Rights Center reports. “The scenario for sentencing to compulsory treatment is the same for everyone: at some point, the accused is declared insane and sent to a psychiatric hospital,” the human rights activists write. According to them, political prisoners are beaten, humiliated, and injected with powerful drugs during treatment, such as haloperidol, which is used for schizophrenia, manic states, delusional disorders, and psychosis.

Among those sent for compulsory treatment is Nizhny Novgorod guide and blogger Alexey Onoshkin, who has been in a special facility for a year. He is accused of "fakes" about the Russian army and calls for terrorism for comments and a post about the bombing of the Mariupol drama theater. Municipal deputy from the Saratov region Oleg Nepein was sent for compulsory treatment. He was also charged in the "fakes" case due to comments about the crimes of the Russian military during the invasion of Ukraine. Shaman Alexander Gabyshev has been forcibly treated for more than three years. He is accused of calls for extremism and the use of violence against government officials. Gabyshev was detained during a hike to perform a ritual to "expel Putin."

Musician and journalist Andrey Gaevsky was sent for compulsory treatment. He wrote several comments condemning the Russian attack on a shopping center in Kremenchuk. Deputy Executive Director of MIPT Viktor Moskalov has been undergoing compulsory treatment for almost a year and a half. He was also charged in the "fakes" case for comments about the crimes of the Russian army in Ukraine. Human rights activists note that patients can be "under "treatment" until they "recover", which means indefinitely."

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