Discrediting the court and pressuring the victims — what is happening in the Odrex Case?
Kyiv • UNN
Odrex doctor Vitaliy Rusakov, accused of medical negligence, is attempting to discredit the court instead of allowing justice to assess the evidence in the case. The clinic itself may be using a similar tactic — the families of deceased patients have repeatedly reported being pressured.
A doctor has the right to defend himself in court, a clinic has the right to defend its reputation, and patients have the right to speak about what they have experienced. All of these are instruments of a democratic society. However, when, instead of answers to difficult questions, public humiliation of the presiding judge begins, and people speaking about their treatment experience talk about fearing physical violence, this goes far beyond ordinary defense of one’s position. Read about what is happening in the Odrex Case in the UNN article.
Details
The most telling example is the behavior of Vitaliy Rusakov, one of the Odrex doctors accused of medical negligence. While the court examines evidence in the case concerning the death of businessman Adnan Kivan, the doctor himself actively uses social media, commenting on the closed proceedings and ridiculing its participants. Rusakov resorts to personal attacks against the court, publishing memes and posts about presiding judge Viktor Chaplytskyi, the prosecutors, and the proceedings themselves.
Retired judge Oleksandr Sytnykov told UNN that public campaigns against judges, unsubstantiated accusations of their bias, and attempts to shape public attitudes toward a decision before it is made may bear signs of informational pressure.
Rusakov went even further after the court extended his suspension from his position at the Odrex clinic. The decision was made so that the accused would not communicate with witnesses in the case. The doctor then urged his patients to file complaints with the High Council of Justice because they could not get an appointment with him.
Mass, identical complaints can create psychological pressure on a judge, even if they later prove unfounded. In such a case, the judge is forced to spend time explaining and responding to each appeal.
I went through this back in 2014–2015. I received 15 complaints in one year. Before that, I had worked for almost 20 years and had hardly received any complaints. This was unquestionably pressure
Families of deceased patients also speak of pressure
Another example of pressure that the Odrex clinic may use against inconvenient criticism is psychological pressure, as described by the families of deceased patients.
One of them is Svitlana Huk. Her husband died after treatment at Odrex. According to the woman, afterward she faced not only financial demands from the clinic but also threats to "take everything away from her." The widow of the Odrex patient told UNN that the pressure was so intense that she had suicidal thoughts.
Later, commenting on yet another blocking of the StopOdrex platform, where families of the deceased and former patients publish their stories, the woman spoke about fearing physical violence.
What will happen next? Will they remove the "inconvenient" witnesses, or what?
StopOdrex co-founder Khrystyna Totkailo, whose father died after treatment at the clinic, said that instead of communicating directly with the families and responding to their complaints, the clinic chose a different path—legal action.