Letter: Oppose dictatorships, no matter where

Published 12:10 pm Monday, November 7, 2022

On Oct. 26, 2022, the president of the Turkish Medical Association — forensic pathologist and human rights campaigner Sebnem Korur Fincanci — was detained after she called for an independent investigation into allegations that Turkish armed forces might have used chemical weapons against Turks in Kurdistan.

In a parallel action, prosecutors in Ankara now seek to dismiss the council members of the Turkish Medical Association, supposedly for actions that the government says favor “terrorist organizations” such as Kurdistan separatists.

While we can’t become experts on Turkish politics, there are some universal principles involved in these cases.

Because physicians’ loyalty is always to the well-being of their patients and society, independent medical organizations are looked upon with suspicion by dictators and would-be dictators everywhere.

The struggle for human rights — including the right to dissent from authorities’ views — requires free people to pay attention to freedom worldwide. This isn’t a right-wing or left-wing issue — dictatorship is dictatorship, regardless of economic systems or political alliances.

Turkish physicians need the right to choose their own leaders, free of government interference, and to hold governments accountable for improving the health of all citizens. If electoral change is no longer possible in Turkey, people outside Turkey need to be involved — and to pressure the Turkish government to respect the human rights of all.

DAVE CUNDIFF, MD MPH

Ilwaco