Amnesty International Health Professionals Network

London Declaration

21 May 1995

On the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the first Amnesty International medical group, this meeting of representatives of the Amnesty International Health Professionals Network, which consists of physicians, nurses, psychologists, dentists, students in the health professions and others with a special commitment to health and human rights throughout the world:

- believing that health professionals should defend and promote human rights as an inherent part of their activities to promote health and wellbeing,
- reaffirms its commitment to the application of health care skills, knowledge and ethics to the defense and promotion of human rights around the world, in particular to:

free all prisoners of conscience
ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners
abolish the death penalty, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
end the denial of medical care as a form of ill-treatment
end extrajudicial executions and "disappearances";
- calls on all health professionals to apply their clinical skills and professional ethics to the prevention of human rights violations and the defense of humane values;
- urges professional associations and societies to undertake systematic activities to defend those under threat of human rights violations and to investigate and act upon all reports of human rights abuses by health professionals;
- invites all health professionals to join with the Network, either as members of Amnesty International or independently, to work to achieve these objectives.

London, 21 May 1995

Last updated 21.03.96
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