Save Mikhail Kosenko from coercive Psychiatric Treatment

Court in Russia has sentenced a critic of President Vladimir Putin to coercive treatment in a psychiatric hospital . Formal accusation was in attempt of attack on police during mass protests in Moscow in 2012. No evidence of his guilt provided during the trial - policeman who formally accused him could not identify Mikhail in the court. The decision of court was horrible - to send Mikhail to psychiatric hospital as a matter of punishment.

Coercive psychiatric treatment was used in the Soviet Union as a matter of punishment for political prisoners: in such hospitals there were no opportunities to appeal or talk to advocates. People could have been kept in such facilities and tortured (e.g., through the massive use of various drugs) as long as the state wanted them to. It is horrible to see this practice restored in contemporary Russia.

Decision of the court is not implemented yet and is waiting for an appeal. Global outcry can save Mikhail from a terrible destiny, much worse than imprisonment, and put end to attempts to restore cruel Soviet practices of oppressing people who are against of current regime.

Links in English:

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24451016

Amnesty International: https://www.facebook.com/amnestyglobal/posts/177631229077848

Links in Russian:

РосУзник: http://rosuznik.org/arrests/misha

UPDATE: the signatures and accompanying letter were sent by post to ECHR and Vyacheslav Lebedev, Chairman of Supreme Court of Russia