Sochi resident Eskova fears new persecution after being discharged from a mental hospital

The story of Olga Eskova, who was arrested for a pro-Ukrainian comment, about the psychological pressure in the detention center was declared by psychiatrists to be schizophrenic delirium and hallucinations. Due to the arrest, the Sochi resident lost her job and fears that the security forces will carry out their threat to "put her in jail for two years."

"Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote that 51-year-old Olga Eskova from Sochi was detained on July 10. The court sentenced her to 15 days of arrest for a pro-Ukrainian comment on Telegram, but after five days in a special detention center, she was transferred to a mental health facility. Eskova's relatives were told that she attempted suicide. After the end of her arrest, the woman was not released from the psychiatric hospital. Olga's husband filed complaints with many agencies and managed to get her discharged home, although the security forces planned to return her to the detention center to serve the remaining 10 days of her arrest. When Olga was discharged on August 12, Eduard Eskov was informed about the criminal case against his wife.

Olga Eskova, who spent a month in two closed institutions, agreed to tell a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on August 21 what happened to her in the mental hospital after her forced hospitalization from the detention center.

For her own safety, the woman has not yet decided to tell in detail what exactly happened to her in the temporary detention center and provoked her to attempt suicide: after hospitalization, Olga told doctors about these events, but they called her words hallucinations, defining "schizophrenic delirium with hallucinations" as the official diagnosis. Eskova fears that after publicly disclosing the same events, she may again be forcibly sent to a psychiatric clinic.

"I am in Russia and cannot confirm my words in any way. The temporary detention center and the mental health center are closed institutions, there are no witnesses there. There they made it clear to me that my story is a slander against law enforcement officers and I will have to answer for it. At the PND, when I tried to tell about the reasons, they immediately said that I "heard voices" - but not in the literal sense, but as a schizophrenic delirium with persecution mania and hallucinations," she said.

According to Olga, who worked as a salesperson in a store, she was detained at her workplace on July 10. "Two officers immediately took away her phone. They did not draw up a report, they said that we had to go "to talk about my children." In the car, they asked where my sons were, why they left. Already at the department, they made claims to my comments in the Telegram news feed two years ago," Eskova said.

She explained that she first met police officer Andreev at the department. "He said that people like me should be shot, called me a traitor to the Motherland. He threatened to put me in jail for two years, because "he knows how to search." When I said that I did not consider it my fault for not wanting war, he became even angrier,” she said.

In court, Olga did not admit guilt and referred to the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution, explaining her comment. “Andreyev was not present in court, in the courtroom there was me, the judge and a man in uniform, I don’t know who he was. After the decision was made on the administrative offense and punishment - 15 days of arrest, they made me sign on an A4 sheet of paper with several signatures on one page. I don’t know what exactly I signed, I didn’t have my glasses. No one handed me the court decision,” she said.

Olga describes the living conditions in the detention center as “generally normal, but without a shower.” “I washed myself in the sink. There was a mattress, a blanket and a sheet on the bed. But the psychological attack was successful, I was very scared and panicked," she said.

According to Eskova, the first aid after the suicide attempt was provided to her by a temporary detention facility employee. "I am very grateful to her, she was worried about me and even apologized if she did something wrong. At the hospital, the doctor said that he would (carry out manipulations) without painkillers, because "they love people like that", and the nurse said that people like me should be "thrown over the fence", the woman said.

Then Olga was sent to a mental health clinic with very low blood pressure. "I was very weak. At the mental health clinic, they calmly registered me, washed me and put me on an IV. The first ten days I was in the examination room. They didn't let me go outside, visits were only in the presence of the staff. "Everyone knew about my position on Ukraine, but no one ever said a condemning word," Eskova clarified.

The decision on whether to send Olga back to the temporary detention facility after her discharge was made "not by doctors, but by the employees of the authorities." "At first, I thought that the days in the PND would be counted, but then they told me that I would have to serve out my term in the temporary detention facility," she said.

Now, according to Eskova, her physical condition has returned to normal, but she has not recovered psychologically. "Morally, I have not yet returned to normal. The fear remains, although I have always considered myself a strong person," she admitted.

After her arrest and imprisonment, Olga lost her job. "I have not yet returned my phone, I cannot contact my employer, but I know that another employee is already working in my place. So, I have lost my job," she stated.

Eduard Eskov said that he is doing everything to stabilize his wife’s moral state. The date for the appeal hearing on Olga's arrest has not yet been set, according to the couple.

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