The name of the Iraqi physician who was executed was not stated in the Amnesty International report in which the incident was mentioned.1 However, the names of many other health care professionals at risk have been published.2,3 For example, the Turkish Medical Association has protested against torture and executions, and several of its members have been threatened with imprisonment, including Veli Lök.2 A Romanian physician, Atilla Kun, refused to cover up incidents of torture and was sent to prison for 3 years.4
Many physicians uphold the Hippocratic oath in the face of imprisonment, mistreatment and even execution. Their courage, will and struggles have to be honoured, but not by scholarships. Rather, we should try to understand why physicians have faced human rights violations and we should work to help our colleagues who are presently at risk. The best way to honour them is to share their sense of responsibility to uphold the Hippocratic oath.
Signatures
Siroos Mirzaei
Department of Nuclear Medicine Wilhelminenspital, and Hemayat (Organisation for the support of survivors of torture and war) Vienna, Austria
Peter Knoll
Department of Nuclear Medicine Wilhelminenspital Vienna, Austria
References
- 1.Amnesty International. Amputations and branding; detention of health professionals. London: Amnesty International; 1994. Report no.: MDE 14/13/94.
- 2.Welsh J. Health workers at risk. Lancet 2000; 356 (9228):503. [DOI] [PubMed]
- 3.Amnesty International. Harming the healers: violations of the human rights of health professionals. London: Amnesty International; 2000. Report no.: ACT 75/02/00.
- 4.Amnesty International Medical Commission, Marange V. Doctors and torture: collaboration or resistance? Paris: Bellew Publishing; 1991.