WMA repeats its Demand for Charges Against Turkish Physicians to be dropped

The World Medical Association has repeated its call for the Turkish authorities to drop all charges against physicians charged with providing urgently needed emergency medical care to demonstrators injured during the Gezi Park demonstrations last year.

Its demand comes on the eve of the trial against resident doctors in Istanbul due in court tomorrow (Friday).

Dr. Mukesh Haikerwal, Chair of the WMA, said: ‘We were disappointed in September when, with other medical organizations, our plea for the dismissal of a lawsuit against the Turkish Medical Association was rejected by the court at a pre-trial hearing.

‘We are now repeating our call for the trial against resident doctors to be halted and all charges dropped.’

Dr. Ahmet Murt, Chair of the WMA’s Junior Doctors Network, added: ‘We are extremely concerned about the charges against our Turkish colleagues just for their activity in helping people who were in need of acute medical care during these street demonstrations.

‘Junior doctors are dedicated to the ethics of the medical profession and the belief that our first principle must be the provision of medical care and the saving of life. We urge the relevant Turkish authorities to respect these principles and to drop these punitive charges’