Patient-physician confidentiality on trial in Turkey

THE HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION of Turkey, accustomed to protecting human rights in Turkey, recently has found itself defending international medical ethical standards against attacks from the Turkish government. The public prosecutor in Adana, Turkey, has requested the names and addresses of applicants to the Torture Treatment and Rehabilitation Center operated by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. The third trial against representatives of the foundation's Adana center took place on September 13,1996. A decision was not handed down and a new trial has been scheduled for November 8, 1996. The grounds on which the trial was launched target universal principles of human rights and medical ethics. 1 See also p 1439. Representatives of the foundation, Tufan Kose, a physician, and Mustafa Cinkilic, a lawyer, have been charged under articles 526 and 530 of the Turkish Penal Code for "operating an unlicensed health center" and "negligence in denouncing a crime." 2