2024-07-16 01:11:01
A Russian shaman known for wanting to “banish” President Vladimir Putin will remain interned in a psychiatric center in Siberia, his lawyer announced today, after his appeal against forced hospitalization was rejected, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
Fifty-five-year-old Alexander Gabichev began the trek from Siberia in March 2019 and planned to arrive in 2021 in Moscow, where he wanted to organize a “ceremony to expel Vladimir Putin”, whom he described as a “demon”.
That same year, he was arrested after walking hundreds of kilometers in the direction of the Russian capital. His arrival in several cities sparked demonstrations in his support.
He was initially declared “not responsible for his actions due to mental disorder” and then committed to a mental institution.
The shaman appealed against his forced treatment, but the court in Siberia refused to soften the conditions of his forced hospitalization, his lawyer Alexei Pryanichnikov reported today on his Telegram channel.
“We will appeal to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, at the beginning of October, a commission of psychiatrists will conduct a new psychiatric examination of Alexander Gabichev,” he said.
Human rights NGOs have accused Russian authorities of using internment in mental institutions to punish voices critical of the government, a practice that dates back to the Soviet era.