Source : Perth Now news
A pro-Kremlin blogger who was sent to a mental institution after he unexpectedly lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin has been released after 30 days at the facility.
“Harsh criticism of top government officials comes at a price – bear that in mind,” Ilya Remeslo said on Telegram following his discharge.
Remeslo, long considered an ardent supporter of Putin and an informer on the opposition, made headlines in March when he described the president as a thief and a war criminal in a post on Telegram.
He said at the time that Putin’s presidency was illegitimate, that the war on Ukraine had led Russia into a political and economic dead end and complained that media freedom had been stifled and internet access restricted under Putin.
In response, authorities admitted Remeslo to a psychiatric clinic, a move that is likely to be intended as a warning and recalls a practice used in Soviet times, when dissidents were forced into mental hospitals to discredit them and break their will.
Remeslo described the conditions at the institution as harsh, saying that unlike at penal colonies, walks were not permitted.
He did not retract his criticism of Putin, but said he would “express himself more cautiously and balanced, without personal attacks” in the future.
