Azerbaijan proposes letting police order involuntary psychiatric tests

Azerbaijani MPs have debated a draft law that would allow police and prosecutors to order psychiatric examinations for citizens without their consent.

The proposed amendment to the country's law on psychiatric care was discussed by the parliament's health committee on Wednesday 17 June. Under the draft legislation, a decision by a prosecutor or an authorised official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs would serve as the legal basis for a forced evaluation.

Proponents of the bill say the measures would apply only when a delay in medical assistance poses an immediate threat to the individual or those around them.

However, the proposals have sparked concern on social media, with critics warning that the law could be abused to target dissenters.

Azerbaijan has previously faced criticism over allegations of involuntary psychiatric detentions. Activists and opposition figures, particularly in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, have repeatedly claimed they were confined to psychiatric institutions without medical grounds because of their political views.

Azerbaijani authorities have consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that all hospitalisations are based strictly on medical necessity.

The debate has also revived memories of the Soviet era, when "punitive psychiatry" was systematically used across the USSR to silence political dissidents and critics of the regime.