China Mental Health Watch, a non-profit organization comprised of world-renowned neurologists, psychologists, social workers, attorneys and volunteers, was established this Friday in New York with New York Medical College senior professor, Dr. Abraham Halpern, as president.
The mission statement of this organization calls on mental-health workers in China to oppose the unlawful use of mental institutions to persecute people of belief and to help provide evidence of these abuses. The mission includes:
· Assisting international human rights and legal organization to investigate mental-health misconduct in all institutions, organizations, toward individuals involved in the persecution of Falun Gong.
· Exposing all incidents of mistreatment of mental health in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
Since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began on July 20, 1999, inadequate statistics indicate there are more than 1,000 mentally healthy Falun Gong practitioners forcibly confined in mental hospitals for up to 2 years. At least 10 practitioners died from daily over-doses of neurological damaging drugs, high voltage electric shock, being tied-up for long periods and force-feeding. There are at least 90 provinces, cities, counties and districts where mental hospitals are involved in the persecution.
Since the beginning of this persecution, the Chinese government has controlled the media and information including telephones, fax, Internet, emails, TV broadcasts, TV stations, newspapers and diplomatic channels to fabricate and slander Falun Gong. Associating it with mental disorders has hindered international intervention and lead to worldwide misunderstanding, discrimination and hatred toward Falun Gong practitioners and caused more severe persecution.
In March, 2001, the Falun Dafa Information Center submitted a special report to United Nations Commission on Human Rights. It gave detailed stories of those persecuted 300 mentally healthy Falun Gong practitioners who were incarcerated in mental hospitals and subjected to repeated injections of unneeded medications.
This report was also submitted to the World Psychiatric Association Investigation Committee requesting the international society to investigate and stop this violation of international principles of humanity and human rights.
After this, the media and international human rights organizations worldwide have continuously reported on China’s mistreatment of mentally healthy Falun Gong practitioners.
Posting date: 1/Dec/2003
Original article date: 30/Nov/2003
Category: Media Report
