tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640441812647446166.post6549296791474130542..comments2024-03-28T04:26:49.354+00:00Comments on Tony Greenstein's Blog: Not so Innocent – Index on Censorship Trustee Seeks to Silence Campaigner Against TortureTony Greensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14300640929161205370noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640441812647446166.post-1644476288933126922009-10-26T20:15:31.101+00:002009-10-26T20:15:31.101+00:00Good to see your comment again Tony. As one of t...Good to see your comment again Tony. As one of the 725 physicians from 43 countries who signed the letter I want to clarify, so that there should be no misunderstanding, that our campaign has at no time been directed against Dr Blachar personally, and we have never alleged or suggested, nor would we, that for instance Dr Blachar himself has personally engaged in the use of torture in Israel. I have never heard any of us, or specifically Dr Summerfield, who acted as our convenor, ever portraying Dr Blachar as a torturer — that is not, and has never been, our allegation. <br /> <br />We have focused in particular on the Tokyo Declaration<br />http://www.wma.net/en/60about/70history/02declarationTokyo/index.html — <br /> <br />“Guidelines for Medical Doctors concerning Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in relation to Detention and Imprisonment”. It is not enough for a doctor to say, for example, that he wasn’t in the room when the torture (etc) took place — it is very specific: “A breach of the Geneva Conventions shall in any case be reported by the physician to relevant authorities”.<br /> <br />The Declaration of Tokyo intended, and this has always been clear, that in order not to be guilty of countenancing or condoning torture and similar abuses, doctors are required to take action, for instance in reports to the appropriate authorities, whenever they encounter or suspect torture. Inaction, either for the individual doctor or for a national medical organisation is thus not an option.<br /> <br />We have been critical of the Israeli Medical Association and of Dr Blachar in relation to his role and responsibilities as office bearer within the IMA and more recently as president of the World Medical Association (his term comes to an end this month). For instance, when Dr Blachar has written on this and related matters to the Lancet or the British Medical Journal, he has done so not as a private individual but as an office-bearer.<br /> <br />In passing I’d mention that at a lecture some months ago in London, reported by the Jewish Chronicle, (by James Martin, June 25, 2009) http://tinyurl.com/ykvbb4m <br />Dr Ishai Menuchin, Executive Director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (who compiled and published the “Ticking Bombs” report in 2007) criticised the supervising [Israeli] doctors “who sit back and allow torture to go unchecked”. He called the Israeli Medical Association culpable for “standing by and allowing its doctors to go unpunished”.<br /> <br />I’d like to mention just one more highly relevant contribution here, namely the article by John S Yudkin, emeritus professor of medicine, University College London in the British Medical Journal, 7 Oct this year. It is entitled "Doctors and Human Rights: The Israeli Medical Association and doctors' complicity in torture.<br /><br />It can be read on my website at: <br />http://musicweaver.users.btopenworld.com/#yudkin-ima-and-torture-bmj<br /> <br />which is:-<br /> <br />http://tinyurl.com/yz7s662<br /> <br />or alternatively<br /> <br />http://bit.ly/4vm3aQ<br /><br />All best <br /><br />Brian<br /> Brian Robinsonhttp://musicweaver.users.btopenworld.com/noreply@blogger.com