Commentary on Current Events

According to a UPI news report on August 26, the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) will hold a meeting on Monday to assemble an international delegation of psychiatrists to visit China. The delegation will focus part of its investigation on the illegal use of mental hospitals to persecute mentally healthy and stable Falun Gong practitioners. According to reports from human rights organizations, the official propaganda apparatus of the Chinese government has been spreading false information that Falun Gong practitioners are mentally ill, therefore forcing thousands of them into mental hospitals where they are administered with mind altering drugs.

Media Coverage

According to a Reuters news report on August 28, "A week-long congress of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) began on Friday in the Japanese city of Yokohama, with focus on a study that concluded abuse of psychiatry in China is rampant." (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020823/hl_nm/psychiatry_china_dc_1)

Afterwards, the WPA held a press conference requesting an independent investigation into the abuse. Experts specifically pointed out that it is a severe violation of international psychiatric regulations for China to use psychiatric treatments to persecute mentally healthy Falun Gong practitioners. They said that this is absolutely not allowed.