Dire conditions in St. Petersburg asylum lead to deaths
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 11 July 2009 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Dire conditions in St. Petersburg asylum lead to deaths, 11 July 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4a82b6f028.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
ST. PETERSBURG – St. Petersburg's Civil Commission for Human Rights says over 20 patients of a psychiatric asylum died as a result of negligence and human rights abuse last month.
Human rights activist Leonid Lemberik told RFE/RL's Russian Service that in June the asylum moved to a new building in the town of Zelenograd near St. Petersburg.
He said one of the asylum's former patients informed human rights organizations about the dire conditions the patients endured in the new building.
There were said to be 15 beds in each room and no water. The first floor was always flooded, and very often the patients had to sleep on the floor without mattresses.
Lemberik said that these types of situation occur mainly because of a lack of official and social control over the asylums.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
