- Internasjonal menneskerettighetslov begynner å støtte oss

I går var det FN-dagen til støtte for torturofre. I den anledning skrev jurist og menneskerettighetsaktivist Tina Minkowitz et innlegg hos Mad in America om psykiatrisk tvang som tortur. Internasjonal menneskerettighetslov begynner å støtte oss, sier hun. Utdrag:

Foto: FN/Flickr

"Juan E. Méndez, the current Special Rapporteur on Torture, acknowledges that nonconsensual medical interventions against persons with disabilities – including restraint or solitary confinement for any period of time, as well as nonconsensual administration of electroshock, psychosurgery or mind-altering drugs such as neuroleptics – always amount to at least inhuman and degrading treatment, arguably meet the criteria for torture, and are always prohibited by international law. He calls for an absolute ban on forced psychiatric interventions, saying it is an immediate obligation that cannot be postponed due to scarce financial resources. In a statement to the Human Rights Council, Méndez said that detention on mental health grounds is never justified and in particular that it is not justified based on a motivation to protect the safety of the person or others."