Raisa Radchenko is a member of several local citizens’ associations in Zaporizhia, in
Ukraine’s southeast, and has actively campaigned against local corruption and
police abuse, supporting local people who have attempted to claim their rights.
In early June she visited Kyiv to present petitions on behalf of residents of
Zaporizhia to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Presidential
Administration. She had previously also organized a petition asking for the
resignation of the mayor of Zaporizhia.
Her daughter, Daryna Radchenko, reported that on July 10 two police officers and a
psychiatrist came to their home and informed Raisa Radchenko that there had
been a court decision stating that she should be subjected to an in-patient
psychiatric examination. She has no history of mental illness. Raisa Radchenko
refused to open the door because they were unable to produce any documents
confirming the court decision. On July 11 she went with her daughter and five
year-old grandson to Lenin District Court for more information. According to
Daryna Radchenko as many as 30 police officers immediately detained her mother
and restrained all three; Daryna Radchenko sustained bruising on her arm. The
following day Daryna Radchenko met the head doctor at the Zaporizhia Regional
Psychiatric Hospital and was informed that a court decision had been taken
based on the testimony of two cleaners working in Raisa Radchenko’s block who
reported anti-social behaviour. Only subsequently did Daryna Radchenko see a
copy of the court decision ordering an in-patient psychiatric evaluation.
On July 13,
Daryna Radchenko saw her mother briefly in the psychiatric hospital and found
out that she was already being treated in the absence of any court decision
authorizing her forced psychiatric treatment. Doctors had administered
Aminazin, a strong sedative often used in the treatment of manic depression and
schizophrenia. Her daughter also noticed bruises on her mother’s body. On July 15
a court ordered that Raisa Radchenko should be treated as a psychiatric
in-patient because she displayed behaviour that “posed a threat to society”.
It is
worth mentioning that following her mother’s hospitalisation, on July 16 Daryna
was visited by two policemen and officers from child services with a request to
inspect the living conditions of her disabled 5 year-old son. They told
her that they were responding to an anonymous tip off that she had been mistreating
her son, and that they needed to inspect her home in case it was necessary to
take her son into care.
Amnesty
International has previously raised the issue of the use of forced psychiatric
treatment against human rights defenders. In November 2009 Andrei Bondarenko, a
trade union activist in Vinnytsya region of Ukraine was threatened with forced
psychiatric treatment, but the order for his treatment was overturned after
Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action on his case.
The case
of Raisa Radchenko touches on many systemic problems in the Ukrainian criminal
justice system, and the health system.
Clearly somebody wanted to silence her, but how can it be that
psychiatrists were prepared to certify that a seemingly healthy woman was
insane? How could they arrange for police officers to detain her? And why was a
judge so ready to order the forced psychiatric treatment of a woman, when that
must surely be the action of last resort in the most severe cases.
Just like the
people who stood against police abuse in Vradiyivka and other places in
Ukraine, those shocked by the story of Raisa and Daryna all over the world are
now appealing to Ukrainian authorities to stop this injustice. As a human rights
defender Raisa challenged abuses despite all the obstacles and now the time has
come to stand up for her. Each letter can save a life.
_____________
Amnesty International is calling to write immediately in Ukrainian, Russian
or your own language:
·
Asking for Raisa Radchenko to be released and to be given a psychiatric examination
outside the Zaporizhia Region to ensure impartiality, with the participation of
a psychiatrist from the Ukrainian Psychiatric Association, and that she not be
subjected to any treatment until she has exhausted all legal remedies;
·
Reminding the authorities that they have an obligation not only to ensure
that human rights defenders can carry out their activities unhindered but also
to protect them against any violence, threats, or retaliation in conformity
with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1999);
·
Asking for an investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of Daryna
Radchenko and Raisa Radchenko by police officers.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 26 AUGUST 2013 TO:
Governor of Zaporizhzhya
Region
Alexander Peklushenko
Prospekt Lenina 164
Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine
Fax: +380 61 224 61 23
e-mail: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Alexander
Prosecutor
General
Viktor
Pshonka
Vul
Riznitska 13/15
01601 Kyiv, Ukraine
Fax: + 380
44 280 2851
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor
Ombudsman
Valeriya
Lutkowska
Vul
Instytutska 21/8
01008 Kyiv, Ukraine
E-mail:
[email protected]
Salutation: Dear Ombudsman
