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Israelische Ärzte verschweigen Folter an inhaftierten Palästinensern |
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Der untenstehende Beitrag von Dr.med. Ruchama Marton,
Psychiaterin und Präsidentin der Physicians for Human Rights
PHR-Israel, zeigt an einem erschreckenden Beispiel auf, wie inhaftierte
Palästinenser in Israel zum Teil verhört werden. Die im vorliegenden
Fall angewendeten Methoden sind zweifellos als Folter zu bezeichnen.
Besonders gravierend ist die Tatsache, dass dabei einzelne Ärzte, die
der Israel Medical Association IMA angehören, solche Praktiken dulden,
was ärztlichen und ethischen Prinzipien zweifellos widerspricht. Wer
wohl schafft hier Abhilfe und zieht solche Mediziner endlich zur
Verantwortung?
Jochi Weil
At stake is the reputation of international medical ethical codes as a system that works
4 January 2010
It is of grave concern to the health of international medical ethics
that the WMA refuses to examine the telling body of evidence, including
that submitted by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, regarding the
complicity with torture in Israel by individual physicians and the
Israeli Medical Association, a WMA member.
I was a speaker at a conference in Turkey- “Health as a Bridge to Peace
in the Middle East”- a few weeks ago. The conference was organised by
the WMA, the Norwegian and Turkish Medical Associations, the Human
Rights Foundation of Turkey, and the International Federation of Health
and Human Rights Organisations. New WMA President Dr Dana Hanson of
Canada was present. My Power Point presentation included Case “M”, a
Palestinian man detained in Israel. His affidavit states:
Interrogated for 20 days, most of the time seated on a chair fixed to
the floor, hands tied behind his back. Beaten and shaken, while
shackled to the chair. Threatened that his house would be demolished
and mother would be arrested. Indeed she was. Following severe
beatings, he fainted and sustained cuts to his head and face. He
suffered severe pains in his jaw to the extent he was unable to eat. He
was taken to a hospital by an ambulance. In presence of ambulance
paramedics and a doctor, interrogator instructs colleagues not to tell
what happened, but to say “M” fell down the stairs. Hospital doctors
treat him while still shackled. “M” receives stitches to head and face.
Doctor is asked by interrogators not to order hospitalization. The
doctor obeys. “M” was brought back to prison. Interrogators ordered “M”
to wait inside the ambulance 3 hours to avoid having “M” examined by
the prison doctor (the one who asks too many questions). “M” was
finally released to another doctor, (the doctor who doesn’t ask
questions). When M complains to the prison doctor he is told to shut
up, sent shackled to confinement cell without medicine. Medication
administered only following Red Cross visit.
There could hardly be a more graphic example of doctors violating the
WMA anti-torture Declaration of Tokyo. WMA President Hanson saw it with
his own eyes at a conference, as did new IMA President Dr Leonid
Eidelman.
In the mentioned above presentation at the Turkey conference I
suggested to the WMA and WHO some practical actions to avoid doctors
and health personnel compliance in torture: to bind all National
Medical Associations to act both educationally and practically against
torture or inhumane treatment by require its members to report any case
of torture and in the same time to create a process for granting legal
and financial support to every doctor that might lose his/her job due
to reporting such acts.
The WMA has a duty to ensure its member associations abide by its codes
including the Declaration of Tokyo. What is at stake is the reputation
of international medical ethical codes as a system that works. So what
is President Hanson going to do about Case "M" and the many like it?
Competing interests: Founder & President Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
--
Dr. Ruchama Marton
President & Founder PHR-I
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 (0)3 648 2913
+972 (0) 528 351 201
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