An anti-Kremlin activist is being held in a mental hospital in what supporters say is a return to a Soviet-era punishment of dissidents.
Roman Nikolaichik, a parliamentary candidate for The Other Russia, the chess champion Garry Kasparov's anti-Putin coalition, was sent to a psychiatric hospital after police questioned him about his political activities.
Mr Nikolaichik, 27, a lawyer, was detained in Tver, 100 miles (160km) north of Moscow, where he is head of the coalition's local branch. He is also a member of Ares, a monarchist movement in Russia.
Yevgeny Svetovidov, a spokesman for Ares, said that Mr Nikolaichik was a victim of “punitive psychiatry” after being summoned for questioning by local prosecutors on Friday. He said that they tried initially to fabricate a charge of attempted murder against the activist, then called a doctor who certified him as mentally unstable.
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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3315213.ece