Ihar Pastnou stated that he was forcibly fed medicines
On 9 September Vitsebsk
activist Siarhei Ryzhou received the power of attorney
giving him the right to represent the interests of the Vitsebsk
psychiatrist Ihar Pastnou, signed by the
medics of the Vitsebsk regional psychiatric hospital. However,
several hours after it he was informed that he was prohibited to meet
with Ihar Pastnou who is undergoing a course of forced medical
treatment.
According to Mr. Ryzhou, it was a problem for him
to receive the power of attorney in the hospital – at first the
administration told him that Pastnou didn't want him to become his
representative:
"But I was
deceived, and so was Pastnou, nobody talked
with him about me at all. I found it personally from Ihar Pastnou. On
9 September I visited him and we talked for more than an hour. I
recorded our confersation, which took place in presence of the head
of the medical department, Natallia Vasilyeva, on tape. There were no
objections on her part. In some time the room was entered by the
deputy chief physician Ihar Svirkunou, who ordered me to erase the
recording, threatening that otherwise he wouldn't let me out and
would call the police. I had to pretend I erased the recording, but
in reality I saved it, as Pastnou sincerely told about what was done
to him in the hospital. I left the hospital and in some time phoned
to the duty nurse – people are allowed to speak with patients on
that phone. However, she put the receiver after hearing my name. I
phoned to the doctor's lounge and was told that our relations with
Pastnou were restricted on the basis of
Article 40 of the Law on Mental Health Care," said
Mr. Ryzhou.
The article states that
patients of psychiatric
hospitals may be
limited in their rights on order of the
physicians. In particular, they can be prohibited to receive visitors
or use their telephones if this can “present danger to the patient
or other persons”.
Mr. Ryzhou believes that the restriction
on contacts is caused by what Ihar Pastnou
said during the meeting. He complained about the insulting methods of
forced therapy – his nose is clamped so that he would have to open
his mouth and swallow the medicine.
According
to Siarhei Ryzhou, Pastnou looks exhausted and scared and the medics
were dissatisfied when he asked about the peculiarities of forced
medical treatment. The medics also expressed dissent at Ryzhou's
promise to solicit for the restriction on foreign travels to the
people who are banned entrance to the European Union, and the
information that Russian and other foreign human rights defenders are
concerned with the fact of his placement in the psychiatric
hospital.
Ihar Pastnou has been kept in the 2nd
locked ward of the regional center of psychiatry
and narcology since 16
August. Earlier he worked there as a
psychotherapist in the narcological ward. He became a patient of his
former colleagues affter a video message where he once again
criticized the regional authorities and the work of the medical
institutions in the Vitsebsk region. Ihar Pastnou also stated that he
was threatened with involuntary psychiatric treatment. A course of
such treatment was authorized on 21 August by Tatsiana Dzehtsiarova,
a judge of the Vitsebsk District Court. Pastnou totally disagrees
with the court verdict: he wasn't allowed to conclude a service
agreement with a counsel and to attend the trial. In general, he is
sure that the course of forced psychiatric
treatment – is revenge for his criticism of the authorities.
The
international human rights organization "Amnesty International"
declared its readiness to recognize Pastnou
a prisoner of conscience.