I was at Kosenko’s sentencing today. His case was split off from the "Bolotnaya case" (the criminal case over the 2012 Bolotnaya Square protests in Moscow) because the prosecution demanded that Mikhail be sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment (he suffered a concussion while serving in the army, and had complications afterward).
Kosenko is, of course, completely sane. It’s enough just to read his final statement in court. But no one had any doubts about the verdict: Judge Moskalenko is the very same judge people were already making posters about back in December 2011 saying, "Judge Moskalenko serves Satan." A special-purpose judge. A person they put in a robe because she is ready to rubber-stamp any decision.
She found Kosenko guilty of participating in mass riots, then exempted him from criminal liability and sent him for compulsory treatment. A professional assessment of the "psychiatric" "evaluation" conducted by the Serbsky Institute (a Russian state psychiatric center known for its role in politically charged cases) can be read here and, especially, here. You can joke all you want about the phrase "punitive psychiatry," but that is exactly what this is. Esquire described what is happening very accurately in today’s "number of the day":
Misha conducted himself very calmly and courageously. Good for him—an example to us all. And "Put the judges on trial" should become a major political slogan and demand.