VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- A court in Russia's Far East has canceled a lower court decision to transfer to a less restrictive psychiatric clinic a Yakut shaman who became known across the country for his attempts to march to Moscow to drive President Vladimir Putin out of the Kremlin.
Aleksandr Gabyshev's lawyer, Aleksei Pryanishnikov, told RFE/RL that on July 28 that the Primorye regional court in Vladivostok handed down its decision two days earlier.
"I am confident that there were no reasons, either legal or procedural, for the court's July 26 decision," Pryanishnikov said.
Exactly one month before the Primorye regional court's decision was pronounced, a court in the city of Ussuriisk ruled that Gabyshev should be transferred to "a psychiatric clinic of a general type."
The decision was appealed by prosecutors and now the case has been sent back to the Ussuriisk district court for reconsideration, Pryanishnikov said.
Pryanishnikov said earlier that, while in a restrictive psychiatric clinic, his client had been forcibly treated with haloperidol -- an antipsychotic medication used in the treatment of schizophrenia and related illnesses. Gabyshev had never previously been diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder.
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Video Shows Raid On Shaman Who Vowed To Topple Putin
Gabyshev, who has been stopped several times by the Russian authorities since 2019 when he tried to march from his native Siberian region of Yakutia to Moscow with the stated goal of driving Putin out of office, was sent to a psychiatric clinic against his will in July 2021, after a court found him "mentally unfit."
During the hearing, the court accused him of committing a "violent act against a police officer" when he was being forcibly removed from his home to be taken to a psychiatric clinic in late January 2021.
The ruling was challenged by Gabyshev's lawyers and supporters who say his detention is an attempt to silence dissent.
Gabyshev first made headlines in March 2019 when he called Putin "evil" and announced that he had started a march to Moscow to drive the Russian president from power.
He then walked more than 2,000 kilometers, speaking with Russians along the way.
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Shaman On 8,000-Kilometer Trek 'To Topple Putin'
As his notoriety rose, videos of his conversations with people were posted on social media and attracted millions of views.
In July that year, when Gabyshev reached the city of Chita, he led a rally in front of hundreds of people under the slogan "Russia without Putin."
At the time, Gabyshev said, "God told me that Putin is not human but a demon, and has ordered me to drive him out."
His march was first halted when he was subsequently detained in the region of Buryatia and initially placed in a psychiatric clinic in Yakutia for several months against his will.
Shamans have served as healers and diviners in Siberia for centuries. During the Soviet era, the mystics were harshly repressed. But in isolated parts of Siberia, they are now regaining prominence.