Drug problem- jailing & beating the daylights out of MDs who Rx painkillers
Mort Zuckerman
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Subject: Drug problem- jailing & beating the daylights out of MDs who
Rx painkillers
Date: Nov 10, 2008 2:35 AM
Addictions to opiates is a huge problem in the United States. We have
many people
who actually have Lyme Disease, but are deliberately misdiagnosed as
having Fibromyalgia
or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, who are then hooked up with CFIDS/FM
"clinics"
who then get them hooked on pain-killers, then suddenly removed these
drugs for
the simple purpose of watching their victims go crazy, so that they
then can diagnose
them as "crazy drug addicts."
We have no law enforcement protection in this country, either. My
sympathies to
the man and his family, and all the MDs who actually try to help but
are stuck in
this dilemma. I recommend reading about how addictions to pain killers
cause the
same neurotransmitter brain damage and dysregulation as psychotropics.
I have much
related scientific data on my website. MDs could try explaining to
their potential
addict-patients exactly what risks they're taking by even starting any
kind
of narcotic pain relief. (Pfizer; ActionLyme dot org).
Kathleen M. Dickson
http://www.actionlyme.org
http://www.actionlyme.org/BRAINDAMAGE.htm
http://www.actionlyme.org/Psychiatric_MumboJumbo.wmv
===============================
Doctor Sentenced to 1,500 Lashes for Addicting Saudi Princess to
Painkillers
By JOSEPH MAYTON (Middle East Times)
Published: October 28, 2008
RIYADH, CITY OF CONTRASTS -- As a doctor working in Saudi Arabia,
Raouf Amin lived
very well. Today the Egyptian physician is in jail in Riyadh
regretting the day
a Saudi princess walked into his surgery complaining of back pains.
Photo shows
women walking through a mall in Riyadh. (By ABACAPRESS.COM via
Newscom)
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CAIRO -- Egyptian Raouf Amin languishes in a Saudi jail and is
punished with 70
lashes once a week. Cut off from his family in Egypt, the 52-year-old
doctor was
convicted for prescribing painkillers to a Saudi princess that led to
her addiction.
An appeal court judge ruled that Amin will be beaten weekly until he
has received
1,500 lashes - and then he'll spend another 14 years behind bars.
The judge doubled the original punishment meted out to him a little
over one year
ago in the lower court where Amin was sentenced to a seven-year jail
term with 750
lashes.
Not surprisingly, human rights groups and the Egyptian doctor's
syndicate are
outraged.
The Middle East Times was told by a human rights lawyer that Amin was
given his
first 70 lashes last week and will get 70 more this week.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) and the
foreign ministry
are taking an earnest look into finding a way to have Amin quickly
returned to Egypt.
The doctor, who has lived and worked in the Gulf state for more than
20 years, had
been treating the princess for several months for back pains after she
visited the
hospital in which he worked.
Ahmed Amin, the doctor's son, who himself was born in Saudi Arabia,
claims the
woman went into the hospital and specified the medication she wanted.
The woman had been receiving similar treatment in the United States
after she had
fallen from a horse while riding.
Hafez Abu Saeda, the director of EOHR concurred that the medication
Amin had prescribed
was the same as the woman had been receiving in the United States, "so
it is
obvious that the doctor was not at fault for her addiction," Abu Saeda
concluded.
"It is a harsh sentence that really must be looked at," he said at his
Cairo office, flipping through reports on Amin's case.
Abu Saeda was astounded that the appeal judge gave a stiffer penalty
than in the
original case. It is tantamount, he said, to penalizing Amin for
asserting his right
of appeal.
"When you appeal against a sentencing it is the rule that it cannot go
higher,
but in Saudi Arabia it appears anything is possible."
Abu Saeda said he has been in contact with Amnesty International and
Human Rights
Watch to publicize the jailing.
Also, the Doctor's Syndicate in Cairo has threatened demonstrations in
support
of Amin.
On Monday, a small sit-in led by human rights activists and Amin's son
was held
in front of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo, as a means of publicizing the
sentence.
Their threats have driven the Egyptian foreign ministry to seek a
solution, partly
out of concern that negative repercussions in Egypt may damage
relations between
Cairo and Riyadh.
"We have been in contact with the foreign ministry, which has asked us
for
information and help to end this crisis," Abu Saeda said, half-
laughing at
how quickly the government is willing to call on human rights
organizations when
the case is outside Egypt's borders.
"This is strange, because if this had happened in Egypt they would be
against
us; but because it happened in Saudi then it is okay to work with us,"
he smiled,
cynically.
The Egyptian government and human rights groups have often been at
odds over cases
in Egypt. And especially in recent months over alleged police torture
and brutality
that rights groups say is endemic to the country. The state denies
these incidents
as mainstream, arguing that they are not the rule.
In advising ministry officials, Abu Saeda said his organization is
trying to push
forward points that are essential to Amin's defense.
First, he said, Amin was not given a fair trial and this must be
stated up front.
And second, the "continuous use of physical punishment is prohibited
under
international law in these situations and must be discontinued."
He believes that with pressure, the Saudi government will release Amin
and let him
return to Egypt, "but pressure must continue. We will not stop our
campaign
until he is released."
Both the Egyptian foreign ministry and the Saudi Embassy in Cairo
refused to comment
on the case, saying the matter is still under investigation.
The foreign ministry would only tell the Middle East Times that they
"are working
hard to have an Egyptian citizen returned to Egypt in the face of such
harsh conditions."
Amin's family are grateful for any help they can get and welcome the
Egyptian
government's actions as a chance to move forward.
"The last time I saw my father was over a year ago," Hafez, his son
said.
"We can't visit and we can't get a visa since his residency was
dropped.
We can't even talk to him over the phone; there is no connection
between us
right now."