The World Psychiatric Association Intends to Investigate China's Mental Hospital's Role in the Abuse and Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners

(Clearwisdom.net) From September 30 to October 4, 2001, the International Conference of the World Psychiatric Association was held in Madrid, Spain. Members from Asia, Europe, South America and North America participated in the conference.

During the conference, delegates had a special discussion on China's abuse of psychiatric treatment in the persecution of its so-called "dissidents," especially Falun Gong practitioners. Dr. Von Veren, the acting chairman of the Psychiatric Treatment Abuse Prevention Organization, based in Geneva, presided over the discussion.

The former chairman of the British Psychiatric Association, Dr. Jim Berley, and an American Psychiatric Association member both made speeches in which they expressed their concern and denounced China's use of psychiatric institutions to persecute dissidents, people with religious beliefs, and especially a large number of peaceful Falun Gong practitioners over the past two years. They appealed to the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) to launch a three-sided probe and to stop the acts that violate the International Human Rights Pact and professional morality. The chairman of the Investigation Committee of the WPA, Dr. Kastrup, was also invited to deliver a speech representing the WPA.

Dr. Kastrup pointed out that the WPA had clarified the norms and regulations that every member should observe and disallowed any acts of psychiatric abuse since the Hawaii Declaration and later, the Madrid Declaration. China, as a member of the WPA, should strictly observe these norms and regulations. She said, "The committee has sent a letter of concern to the Chinese Psychiatric Association to ask them to cooperate with the investigation." She also said, "The committee will organize an investigative team consisting of international experts and Chinese psychiatric doctors as soon as possible and provide training on issues related to the norms and regulations of the World Psychiatric Association."

Prof. Cox, the current chairman of British Royal Psychiatric Association, also spoke at the conference. He required that the investigation committee implement a resolution, which was passed by an overwhelming majority in July by the European branch of the association. According to the resolution, an investigative team should be sent to China, and China's membership in the WPA will be reconsidered if any acts of abuse are found.

Dr. Robin Munro, an expert in the issue of Psychiatry abuse in China, a senior researcher from University of London, also spoke at the discussion. He had given detail accounts of cases of psychiatry abuse for the past twenty years in China by reviewing published official Chinese literatures and documents.

Falun Gong practitioners distributed materials about the persecution to every participant at the conference and effectively exposed the evil of the Jiang Zemin regime's persecution of Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2002/1/7/22694.html

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