Sir, – It is unfortunately a sign of our times when the obvious and entirely rational statement that war is a threat to public health is deemed to be seditious and treasonous.
As a result of publishing this statement, 11 council members of the Turkish Medical Association have been arrested and sentenced to prison.
They are convicted of “provoking the public to hatred and enmity” and promoting “terrorist propaganda” in their call for peace. There has been a noticeable absence to date of any statement from the Irish Medical Council and other Irish medical organisations in support of our Turkish medical colleagues and in condemnation of the actions of the Erdogan regime, which clearly violates medical neutrality principles. – Yours, etc,
Prof DAMIAN
McCORMACK,
Howth, Co Dublin.