On May 21, 2003, members of World Psychiatric Association (WPA) held a news
conference in front of the Chinese Consulate at San Francisco to condemn the
Chinese government’s abuses of psychiatry and strongly urge the Chinese
government to unconditionally accept WPA’s independent inspection.
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| Professor Abraham Halpern | Doctor Jingduan Yang |
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| Clinical psychiatrist Dr. Viviana Galli | A VOA reporter interviewing a Falun Gong practitioner |
Attendees of this news conference included a past president of American
Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and professor Emeritus at New York Medical
College, Dr. Abraham Halpern, a clinical psychiatrist from Ohio, Dr. Viviana
Galli and Dr. Jingduan Yang, a Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
psychiatrist.
At the news conference, Professor Halpern read a statement that WPA published on May 20, in which the WPA “Strongly demand the Chinese
government ‘unconditionally’ accept WPA’s ‘independent inspection’ regarding the
misuse of psychiatry to violate human rights.”
Professor Halpern said, “This is really an historic day for Falun Gong and
for supporters of human rights throughout the world. The WPA has finally
declared unambiguously and clearly a call for the admission to the PRC of an
investigative mission to look into the serious allegations of abuse and misuse
of psychiatry in connection with the hospitalization and other kinds of
psychiatric treatment involuntarily of non-mentally ill Falun Gong practitioners
and political dissidents as well. The statement is
much stronger than the one made in Yokohama Japan last year. This statement is
much stronger than anybody could have expected—Demanding the unrestricted
opportunity to visit any hospital that the investigative mission would want to
go to; having their own translators without relying on translators within China
itself…. This is a very, very good news to all of us who respect human rights.
This statement is much stronger than the one passed by WPA at Yokohama, Japan
last August. The U. S. Congress will carefully consider this statement. I also
hope that the U. S State Department would negotiate with the Chinese Foreign
Ministry regarding this issue. More and more countries request to carry out
investigations of the misuses of psychiatry by the Chinese government. The
Chinese government can not runaround this fact.” Professor Halpern called upon
the U. S. government and other world organizations that care about China’s human
rights to support WPA’s this action.
Ohio Clinical psychiatrist Galli said, “Despite the resolution of the WPA at
the 12th WPA conference in Yokohama Japan to proceed with a third
party investigation of the ongoing psychiatric abuse in China there have been
new cases of abuse and torture of Falun Gong practitioners in mental hospitals,
some concluded in death, after almost four years of persecution the torture and
killing of the practitioners continue. Over 1000 practitioners have been
involuntarily detained in mental hospitals at least 91 hospitals have been
identified for being engaged in this psychiatric abuse of the practice. Today
the number of normal healthy Falun Gong practitioners incarcerated and abused in
mental hospitals way way way exceeds one thousand.” She enumerated some of the
investigated cases at the news conference. The miserable situation of some Falun
Gong practitioners who were tortured to death were shocking by the sight.
Dr. Jingduan Yang, a psychiatrist from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
expressed that to safeguard the professional dignity of psychiatry,
international organizations would not tolerate anyone or any country to
arbitrarily misuse curing methods for political persecution. He said that last
year, the American Psychiatric Association proposed to China to investigate
cases in this regard, the Chinese government seemed on the surface to adopt a
cooperative attitude, but it simple played the game of wording. In actuality,
they used various means to hinder the investigation and also refused Dr. Halpern
to participate in the investigation. He also said, “China is anxious to negate
outside’s requests on its political persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by
means of misuses of psychiatry.”
When reporters asked what this statement meant to the Chinese people,
Professor Halpern said, “Well, I’m sure word will get around to that, and they
will hear about this and they will finally know that the outside world is making
this strong demand and I don’t think that the Chinese government will ignore it.
I personally feel they will respond in some way…
I’m hoping that this investigation does take place.”
About 30 people attended this news conference. A number of media including
KTSF 26 TV station, New Tang Dynasty Television, Voice of America, KQED Radio
station and Epoch Times came to cover the news.
Posting date: 30/May/2003
Original article date: 28/May/2003
Category: World News
