The human rights issue of involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in European Court of Human Rights rulings

Abstract

The paper reviews two cases of involuntary psychiatric hospitalization of Russian citizens considered by the European Court of Human Rights in 2013 and 2014: the case of “Petukhova v. Russia” (application no. 28796/07) and the case of “Shchiborshch and Kuzmina v. Russia” (application no. 5269/08). In both cases the Court held that there had been a violation of the rights of citizens subjected to forced hospitalization and ordered Russian authorities to pay the applicants pecuniary compensation.