Kazakh Lawyer Released From Forced Psychiatric Care

Kazakh lawyer Zinaida Mukhortova

ASTANA -- A Kazakh lawyer who was undergoing forced treatment in a psychiatric clinic has been discharged from an institution in Astana.

In an interview with RFE/RL immediately after her release on November 1, Zinaida Mukhortova said she was "very happy to be out" but noted that the official report assessing her mental health has not yet been concluded.

Mukhortova, 56, was forced into nine months of psychiatric treatment last year.

In August, she was forcibly sent to a psychiatric clinic again after doctors concluded she was suffering from delusions.

Mukhortova insists she is mentally fit and that the legal actions against her are politically motivated.

She says authorities began investigating her mental competence after she filed complaints against a regional governor.

Human Rights Watch had demanded Mukhortova's release from the clinic.