Image: Stock Photo. FreeImages.com/Griszka Niewiadomski A particularly despicable way of punishing dissidents during Soviet times was committing them to insane asylums. In those institutions, perfectly sane dissidents were surrounded by real lunatics, including many prone to violence; were abused by asylum staff; and were often forced to take drugs that actually did damage their mental health. The possibility of being confined to a mental institution made even the most committed dissidents think twice about expressing themselves. It was one thing to be imprisoned, or even subjected to physical torture, for your views. It was quite another to risk coming out …read more
Source: The Huffington Post
