I was one of the 725 physicians signing the petition to remove Blachar as chairman of the World Medical Association. Here is why.
The WMA, founded in 1947 in response to the abusive behaviour by German and Japanese doctors during WWII, is governed by medical ethics.
The 1975 WMA Toky Declaration states: "Physicians shall not countenance, condone or participate in the practice of torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading procedures, and in all situations, including armed conflict and civil conflict."
Torture has been an instrument of state policy in Israel for many years and since the Landau Commission`s sanctioning of the use of "moderate physical pressure" in 1987 1000`s of Palestinian prisoners have been subjected to torture as a bureaucratic routine, documented by Amnesty International and Israeli human rights groups. In a letter to the Lancet in 1997 Blachar is on record as defending the use of "moderate physical pressure", euphemism for torture! |
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