[London Jewish Chronicle] Leon Symons - The Israeli president of the World Medical Association, Dr. Yoram Blachar, has been under attack from Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I) and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) which claim that a number of Israeli doctors have either collaborated with the security services in the torture of prisoners, or have turned a blind eye to the practice. In May, an open letter signed by 725 doctors called for Dr. Blachar's dismissal, while an Internet petition backing Dr. Blachar has attracted more than 4,000 signatures. Dr. Blacher has challenged his main critics to put up or shut up. Speaking in Oxford last week, Dr. Blachar said: "The legal situation in Israel is that torture is a criminal act. I wonder why PCATI or the PHR-I do not file a complaint with the Israeli police or the Attorney General's office, citing those physicians for breaking the criminal law. This can be done at any moment."
2009-07-10 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive