Prior to the celebration of its 20th Anniversary, the Copenhagen-based International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) elected the Palestinian psychologist, Dr Abdel Hamid Afana, Gaza, as the new President of the organisation.
The Anniversary celebrations were conducted in the weekend under the patronage of her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte of Denmark in the presence of the Council members of the IRCT, representatives of diplomatic missions and other distinguished guests.
– With the newly elected political leadership, the IRCT will continue the struggle against torture and for the rehabilitation of torture victims that has been successfully undertaken in the past 20 years, Dr Abdel Hamid Afana says.
Dr Afana is Director of the Education and Research Department at the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) in the Palestinian Territories. He has been intensively involved in research, advocacy work and capacity building for health and related professions, and the law enforcement agencies.
The New Vice-President is Dr José Quiroga, Medical Director at the Programme for Torture Victims (PTV), Los Angeles, United States.
Alfredo Ruiz, Red de Apoyo por la Justicia y la Paz, Venezuela and Akram H. Chowdhury, BRCT, Bangladesh, were elected as new members of the IRCT Executive Committee. Dr Jim Jaranson, USA, was co-opted to the Executive Committee.
Other members are Mr. Niels Krustrup, RCT-Jylland, Denmark and as independent expert Professor Vivienne Nathanson, representative of the British Medical Association (BMA).
Abdel Hamid Afana takes over the Presidency after Dr Bhogendra Sharma, Nepal. Dr José Quiroga replaces Dr Camelia Doru, Romania, as Vice-President .
Since 1985, the IRCT has grown to become the international voice of thousands of people who suffer the psychosocial consequences of torture, and is the international movement for more than 200 rehabilitation centres for torture victims worldwide.
In addition to the General-Secretariat in central Copenhagen, the IRCT has a liaison office in Brussels.
Fur further information, contact Media Co-ordinator Poul Struve Nielsen, 33 76 06 49 (directly) or 23 34 55 09 (mobile).
International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), P.O: Box 9049, 1022 Copenhagen, e-mail [email protected], website www.irct.org – Tel.: 33 76 06 00, Fax: 33 76 05 00
