ALMATY — Hieromonk Iakov Vorontsov was transferred to a psychiatric institution in Almaty last week for a mandatory evaluation following his arrest on drug charges. The transfer came after a court ruling issued without notifying his lawyers, Dias Akhmetov and Galym Nurpeisov, about the hearing.

Vorontsov, a former Russian Orthodox priest defrocked in 2023 after criticizing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was arrested in February after police said narcotics were found during a nighttime search of his Almaty apartment. He was initially sentenced to 10 days’ detention for non-medical drug use and later charged with drug possession and “maintaining a drug den.” Vorontsov denies any wrongdoing.

His lawyers appealed the court ruling ordering the psychiatric evaluation, but he was moved to the mental institution before their petition could be reviewed. Under Kazakh law, the evaluation period may last up to one month and can be extended. However, Kazakhstan’s health legislation permits involuntary psychiatric examination only when there are signs an individual poses a danger to themselves or others.

Kazakhstan’s International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law condemned the decision, stating the court committed a “serious violation” of criminal procedure by failing to notify Vorontsov or his legal team. The organization argued the conditions justifying involuntary psychiatric examination had not been demonstrated in his case. Vorontsov’s lawyers and associates insist he has shown no signs of mental illness. Dias Akhmetov told The Diplomat: “A trial was simply conducted and a decision was made to send [Vorontsov] for compulsory examination.”

Vorontsov first gained prominence in Kazakhstan in 2022 by condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and signing an anti-war appeal by Orthodox clergy. He urged Kazakhstan to leave the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union and worked to register an Orthodox religious organization independent of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has long held jurisdiction over Orthodox parishes in Kazakhstan. He petitioned the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople for autocephaly but said he was repeatedly rejected by the Almaty Department of Justice without explanation.

In March, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom included Vorontsov on a list of individuals allegedly being persecuted for their religious beliefs.