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Russia Using Soviet-Style Psychiatry to Silence Dissent, say UN

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UN Expert: Russia Using Soviet-Style Psychiatry to Silence Dissent

 

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Russia is reviving Soviet-era tactics, including forced psychiatric treatment, to suppress dissent and anti-war voices, according to a United Nations human rights expert. Mariana Katzarova, the UN’s special rapporteur on rights in Russia, said in Geneva on Monday that the Kremlin is escalating systematic repression through national security laws, arbitrary prosecutions, and coercive psychiatry.

 

“Punitive psychiatry has returned as a tool against anti-war voices,” Katzarova told reporters, warning that the practice is part of a broader clampdown on civil liberties under President Vladimir Putin. Rights groups say Moscow has moved sharply toward authoritarianism since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Russia has rejected such claims as Western propaganda.

 

Her report documents an average of 23 cases of punitive psychiatry annually since 2022—up from just five per year between 2015 and 2021. Dissidents, activists, and journalists are increasingly being subjected to invasive tests or open-ended psychiatric admissions under court orders.

 

Reuters reviewed the cases of two female activists who described the ordeal of being forced into psychiatric evaluation at a Siberian hospital, calling the experience deeply scarring. Torture and criminal prosecution also remain part of the Kremlin’s toolkit to punish dissent, Katzarova noted.

 

Russia’s diplomatic mission in Geneva dismissed the findings, pointing instead to a September statement by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said Moscow does not recognize the rapporteur’s mandate and labeled her work “illegitimate.”

 

Despite Moscow’s denials, international observers warn that Russia’s tactics echo the Soviet-era use of psychiatry as a weapon to discredit and neutralize political opposition. The report underscores the growing risks faced by anti-war activists and journalists as the war in Ukraine grinds on.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • UN report says Russia is using coercive psychiatry to silence anti-war activists.

  • Documented cases rose to 23 per year since 2022, compared to five annually before.

  • Moscow denies the allegations, calling the UN rapporteur’s mandate illegitimate.

 

Source: Reuters

 

 

 

They'll be declaring anti-fascist organisations as terrorists next......!!!

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

They be declaring anti-fascist organisations as terrorists next......!!!

And Palestine Action!

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