Semen Gluzman, the psychiatrist and human rights defender who first exposed the Soviet Union’s use of mental hospitals to silence political dissent, died Feb. 16, 2026. He was 79.
Following his graduation from the Kyiv Medical Institute, he gained international attention in 1971 after writing an independent psychiatric evaluation of General Petro Hryhorenko. This report challenged the state’s decision to label the general as mentally ill for his political views. Because of his refusal to comply with state-mandated diagnoses, Soviet authorities sentenced Gluzman to seven years in a labor camp followed by three years of Siberian exile during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
After his release, he became a central figure in reforming mental health care in independent Ukraine. He founded the Ukrainian Psychiatric Association and served as its president, working to align national standards with international ethical codes. He also led the International Medical Rehabilitation Center, which provided support for victims of war and totalitarian regimes.
In the years leading up to 2026, he continued as a vocal activist and critic of government policy while working with several human rights groups. The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group documented his career as one defined by a refusal to compromise medical truth for political gain. Gluzman held the role of president of the Ukrainian Psychiatric Association at the time of his passing.