Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is an organization that promotes health by protecting human rights. It is an organization that believes that human rights are essential preconditions for the health and well-being of all people. They investigate and expose violations of human rights worldwide using medical and scientific means, and use this to stop them. They support institutions that hold perpetrators of human rights abuses, including health professionals, accountable for their actions. Another one of their actions is to educate health professionals and medical, public health and nursing students and organize them to become active in supporting a movement for human rights and creating a culture of human rights in the medical and scientific professions. Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. ... For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ...
Since 1986, PHR members have worked to stop: 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Political killings by governments and opposition groups
To improve health and sanitary conditions in prisons and detention centers
To investigate the physical and psychological consequences of violations of humanitarian law in internal and international conflicts
To defend medical neutrality and the right of civilians and combatants to receive medical care during times of war
To protect health professionals who are victims of violations of human rights
To prevent medical complicity in torture and other abuses.
As one of the original steering committee members of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, PHR shared the 1997Nobel Peace Prize. PHR currently serves as coordinator of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines. The Iron Maiden of Nuremberg was an infamous torture device. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nobel Peace Prize Medal featuring a portrait of Alfred Nobel The Nobel Peace Prize is one of five Nobel Prizes bequested by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ... The International Campaign to Ban Landmines is a coalition of non-governmental organizations with the goal of abolishing the production and use of anti-personnel mines. ...
In these unpaid positions, interns assist staff in the research of humanrights violations in particular countries and in organizing campaigns on select humanrights issues, such as landmines, global AIDS or juvenile justice.
Interns may be assigned a geographic area to monitor for individual violations of humanrights and help draft letters to governments to protest such violations.
An intern in our Washington office may be asked to represent PHR at press conferences or meetings, to collaborate with and contact other humanrights organizations, and to be involved in advocacy.
Many WMA members are approached by various humanrights organizations asking them to write protest letters when physicians or other health professionals are persecuted or harassed due to their engagement in humanrights.
In Cuba physicians have been internally displaced due to their engagement in humanrights, and in Tunisia authorities have withdrawn the physician's license to practise.
As a physician, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet served 3 years in a maximum security prison and was later sentenced to 25 years for alerting his government to humanrights abuses such as the unethical abortion pratices in Cuban hospitals.