Date:         Wed, 17 Apr 1996 20:56:04 EDT
From: "Nancy J. Knig" <102774.122@COMPUSERVE.COM>
To: Multiple recipients of list MADNESS <MADNESS@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
 
Dear Nancy Knight and Rory Pattison,
 
        Both of you have recently written to me to inquire how you can
report cases of mental health abuse to Amnesty International, so I am
taking the liberty of responding to both of you in this email message.
 
        You can directly contact the person in our medical office at the
International Secretariat in London. His name is Jim Welsh. You can call
him at 011 44 171 413 5524. The AI switchboard is 413-5500. I believe his
email address should be jwelsh@amnesty.gn.apc.org.
 
        Nancy, you might prefer to discuss you concerns with the member
of the AIUSA Board who handles these matters. Her name is Sofia Gruskin,
and she can be reached at the Harvard School of Public Health at
617-496-4383.
 
        My own contact information is given below.
 
With All Best Wishes,
 
Morton Winston
 
 
  ********************************************************************
  * Professor of Philosophy             Chair, Board of Directors    *
  * Trenton State College               Amnesty International USA    *
  * Trenton, NJ 08650-4700 USA          mwinston@igc.apc.org         *
  * +609-771-2398 (work)                mwinston@trenton.edu         *
  * +609-771-3385 (fax) http://www.trenton.edu/~mwinston/index.html  *
  *   "Civilization is a race between education and catastrophe."    *
  ********************************************************************
 
 
Date:         Fri, 19 Apr 1996 09:37:33 -0400
From: Mort Winston <mwinston@TRENTON.EDU>
Comments: To: darrellyn sue poole <dpoole@awod.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list MADNESS <MADNESS@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
 
>
> Do you require any particular kind of format for the reports? Can we send
> them via email?
 
Yes, send them to AmnestyIS@gn.apc.org and mark them for the attention of
Jim Welsh in the Medical Office
 
We evaluate the reports carefully according to our our criteria before
issuing a press release or report. We require evidence of charges and the
abuses must fall within our mandate. Not all instances of mental health
abuses do, but for instance, we issued several reports in the 1980s
concerning the abuse of psychiatric drugs on Soviet dissidents. Our
criteria are complex, and I don't have time to explain them to you. It
would be easier if you gave me an example and let us decide whether it
fits our criteria for HRVs in our mandate. AI does NOT oppose every form
of human rights abuse (there are too many for us to be effective on). We
do oppose abuses which threaten physical security of the person,
including inhuman or cruel treatment or punishment.n