Sunday, October 18, 2015

Medicine Betrayed: Medical Professionals and Torture

Remembering the late Dr. Ali Fadul who died under torture and some of his colleagues who were embedded with the Islamists fabricated his death certificate to look as if was due to malaria....

Physicians for Human Rights Welcomes Effort to Improve U.S. Military’s Guidelines for Health Professionals The Constitution Project has issued a letter outlining recommendations about how to eliminate the participation of health professionals in interrogations and forced-feedings, which include: 
  • Physicians should not be involved in abusive practices, including participating in, being present for, condoning, or facilitating torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. 
 
  • Physicians should not be directly involved in interrogation, including conducting, participating in, or monitoring interrogation. 
 
  • Physicians must maintain the confidentiality of medical information and not provide medical information for use in torture; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; or any interrogation. 
 
  • Physicians must not treat prisoners for the purpose of returning them to interrogation; torture; or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. 
 
  • Physicians must report torture, abuse, or coercive treatments including those related to interrogation. 
 
  • Physicians must have clinical independence in treating detainees. 
The American Psychological Association (APA) issued a strong statement back in July condemning any of its members who participate in torture.

A very important article by Arthur Levin in this regard was published back in 2007 (see below)

Collective unconscionable: how psychologists, the most liberal of professionals, abetted bush’s torture policy



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