Caroline Markolin’s Letter to the International PEN
Dr. Caroline Markolin, Ph.D.
President, German New Medicine® Association
2306-1150 Jervis Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6E 2C8 Canada
P.E.N.-Zentrum Deutschland, e.V.
Johano Strasser, Präsident
Kasinostraße 3
D-64293 Darmstadt
Germany
11. November 2004 Sent via Email PEN-Germany@t-online.de and Fax: 011-49-6151-293414 (7 pages)
Re: Arrest and imprisonment of German citizen Dr. med. Ryke Geerd Hamer
cc: Dr. med. Mag. theol. Ryke Geerd Hamer
Amici di Dirk Spain
Ing. Helmut Pilhar, Amici di Dirk Austria
Marco Pfister, Amici di Dirk Italy
Andree Sixt, Amici di Dirk France
German New Medicine Association, Germany
German New Medicine Association, Austria
Prof. Hans-Ulrich Niemitz, Advanced Institute of Technology, Economy and Culture in Leipzig
Dear Mr. Strasser,
I am writing to you from Canada where I have been living as an Austrian-Canadian for 18 years. As a former Associate Professor for German literature at Concordia University in Montreal, I have always been familiar with the International PEN and its excellent work.
Our letter to your organization and to you as president of the German section of PEN is based on the Charter of the International PEN. According to Article 4 “PEN stands for the principle of unhampered transmission of thought within each nation and between all nations, and members pledge themselves to oppose any form of suppression of freedom of expression in the country and community to which they belong, as well as throughout the world wherever this is possible.” We understand that the German Section of PEN feels committed to plead specifically for the rights of German speaking writers, including non-fiction writers.
We are turning to you, in particular to PEN's “Writers-in Prison-Committee” with a request to intervene on behalf of a German citizen, medical doctor Dr. med. Mag. theol. Ryke Geerd Hamer. On September 9th, 2004 Dr. Hamer was arrested in Spain and detained in a prison in Madrid for 6 weeks. Following a European extradition order, Dr. Hamer was extradited to France on October 18th. Presently, he is being held in the French prison Fleury-Mérogis (Paris), sentenced to three years in prison without probation.
Dr. Hamer's address:
No d'écrou 334 750 J
M.A. de Fleury-Mérogis
7 avenue des Peupliers
F-91705 Ste. Généviéve des Bois
The French court in Chambery (Savoy, France) accuses Dr. Hamer of „fraud and complicity in the illegal practice of medicine". He has been charged and found responsible for the deaths of French citizens due to the availability of his publications in French.
Dr. Hamer's scientific discoveries
Medical doctor Dr. med. Ryke Geerd Hamer is the founder of the “Five Biological Laws of the New Medicine”. Since 2004 his scientific discoveries are legally protected under the name “Germanische Neue Medizin®” (German) and “German New Medicine” (English).
Dr. Hamer's research began over twenty years ago after his son Dirk, while sleeping on a boat anchored off the Mediterranean island of Cavallo, was accidentally shot by the Italian Crown prince Victor Emanuele of Savoy. Almost four months later, on December 7th, 1978, Dirk succumbed to those injuries. Shortly after Dirk's death, Dr. Hamer was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Since he had never been seriously ill, he hypothesized that the development of his cancer could be directly related to the unexpected loss of his son. At that time Dr. Hamer was head internist of a cancer clinic at the University of Munich. It was there that he began to systematically study his patients with regards to the causes, development and healing process of their cancers. What he discovered was revolutionary!
Dr. Hamer found, based on 200 case studies, that every disease originates from a dramatic shock experience. He discovered that this shock affects not only the psyche, but impacts simultaneously on the part of the brain that corresponds biologically to the specific trauma (this impact is clearly visible on a brain scan). Dr. Hamer established a clear and systematic correlation between certain conflicts, how these conflicts manifest themselves as what we term “disease”, and how all these psychological and organic processes are connected to the brain as the mediator between the brain and the body.
With his findings, Dr. Hamer was the first to prove scientifically that cancer is not – as previously thought – a senseless proliferation of deadly cancer cells but rather a meaningful (even predictable) biological program created by Nature over the course of evolution in order to give the individual (man and mammal alike) the chance to cope with a very particular biological emergency situation (the unexpected "conflict shock"). So far, Dr. Hamer has been able to confirm his discoveries with over 40,000 case studies,
For more than 20 years, Dr. Hamer's research has been providing us with scientific evidence that cancer is NOT a life-threatening disease! Why, one might ask, are these ingenious discoveries that could have saved thousands of people from the current invasive treatments for cancer not taught at a University level? In fact, in 1981, Dr. Hamer presented that very research to the Medical Faculty of the University of Tuebingen, Germany, as a post-doctoral thesis. To this day, the Medical Faculty still refuses, in spite of two court orders, to evaluate Dr. Hamer's findings (more details below).
In 1986, Dr. Hamer was stripped of his medical license on the grounds that he refused to renounce his findings on the origin of cancer. On September 9th, 1997 he was accused of “illegal practice of medicine” and sentenced to 19 months in prison for having given three people free medical information without a medical license. After his prison sentence in Cologne (Germany), he moved to Spain where he has been living in exile ever since.
On September 8th, 2004 (exactly 7 years after his first arrest), Dr. Hamer was arrested again – this time on the grounds that some people in France were informed about his research on cancer as well as about his publications on the subject.
Dr. Hamer's arrest on September 9th, 2004 is a result of rather dubious appeal proceedings. In January 2000, the French court in Chambery (Savoy, France) sentenced Dr. Hamer in absentia to 18 months – 9 months in prison, 9 months on probation - plus a financial penalty of about 7,000 Euro. The charges: “fraud and the complicity in the illegal practice of medicine”. According to an AFP-press release (1-06-2004), several patients had been given information about Dr. Hamer's findings on cancer by members of the organization “Stop Cancer”. After these patients died, Dr. Hamer was made responsible for their deaths based on the publication of his scientific research. It should be mentioned that Dr. Hamer had never spoken to any of the individuals in person.
At the end of May 2004 something happened which is most likely unprecedented in judicial history. The French Appeals Court held the appeal hearing against Dr. Hamer without notifying him or his lawyer! Dr. Hamer first learned about this hearing on May 27, 2004 when he received a faxed copy of a newspaper article with the title "Hamer in Hiding" (Hamer aux abonnés absent). The public prosecutor had requested a long jail term in order to obtain a European arrest warrant. The previous sentence had been too short, because 9 months of the 18 were to be on probation. To secure a European extradition warrant, a minimum penalty of 12 months without probation was needed. The senior public prosecutor, Mme Jakobine D., has requested the court to sentence Dr. Hamer to a “long enough sentence to allow requesting a European arrest warrant”, literally, “at least one year in prison without probation”. She has even appealed to the European court to confirm in advance the minimum sentence of one year, to be imposed when the time will come. Now the time has come!
On July 1st, 2004, the prison term was even increased. The court in Chambery sentenced Dr. Hamer to 3 years in prison without probation for “fraud and illegal practice of medicine”. On top of that, Dr. Hamer was ordered to pay compensation in the amount of Euro 200,000 to people he has never seen and who supposedly suffered damages through his German New Medicine or his publications.
The appeal proceedings and the sentence in absentia to three years in prison which resulted in Dr. Hamer's arrest on September 9th, 2004 make it obvious that the penalty is not based on the severity of the supposed offense but rather of the feasibility to get a hold of him through a pre-emptive European arrest warrant. The penalty in the first instance had been clearly less.
An interview with Dr. Hamer's Spanish lawyer, published in the Spanish paper “Discovery DSUDAD”, contains revealing information. “Dr. Hamer's Spanish lawyer, who, up to this point, had never met Dr. Hamer nor heard of German New Medicine, was surprised to learn the reason for the arrest and the fact that a French court was able to issue a pre-emptive arrest warrant while the verdict was still the subject of appeal proceedings. He could not imagine somebody being detained under such circumstances in Spain. Furthermore the lawyer deemed it unjust to sentence Dr. Hamer in absentia despite a certificate attesting to Dr. Hamer's inability to respect the hearing date because of illness and a request for a new date. The lawyer also questioned the fact that the court refused a new hearing date and sentenced Dr. Hamer in absentia, leaving him therefore without legal protection. He also questioned why he wasn't arrested in the first place to ensure his presence before court. He said that once appeal proceedings were initiated, it would not be permitted to order pre-emptive arrest proceedings with a view to a more favorable judgment. Furthermore, the court was aware of Dr. Hamer's place of residence, nullifying the risk of escape. According to the lawyer, the chain of events was rather strange, completely unjustified and contrary to established proceedings.”
Dr. Hamer's findings have been verified over twenty times. Some verifications were deposited with a notary.
Examples:
December 9th, 1988: University of Vienna, signed by:
Dr. Elisabeth M. Rozkydal, General Physician
Prof. Jörg Birkmayer, Specialist for Laboratory Medicine
Dr. Franz Reinisch, Specialist for Internal Medicine
Doktor Fritz Eberz, Intern
May 12/13, 1990: Verification at medical doctors conference in Namur (Belgium), signed by 16 M.D.s
Juni 24th, 1992: Medical Faculty of the University of Düsseldorf, signed by:
Prof. Dr. E. A. Stemmann, head doctor of pediatric clinic in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Dr. Elke Mühlpfort, pediatrician
September 8/9, 1998: Verification by the University of Trnavská (Slovakia), signed by: Prof. MUDR. J. Pogády, DrSc, Professor of psychiatry and Chair of the committee; Prof. MUDR; V. Krcmery, DrSc, Dean of the Faculty; Doc. RN Dr. Josef Miklosko, DrSc, Pro-Rector of the Faculty of Science.
With the “Verification of Trnava” we have a document, signed by ten academic scholars, that clearly puts Dr. Hamer's findings on the origin, development and healing of diseases on a publicly acknowledged level. Since 1998 Dr. Hamer's discoveries have never been disproved, only criticized as not being in accordance with the common view, i.e. with the theories and hypotheses of standard medicine
Dr. Hamer's published discoveries in the context of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Art. 10.2 of the Convention states that the right to freedom of information can be restricted by law for the sake of the protection of health.
Given the numerous verifications of German New Medicine, in particular the verification by the University of Trnava, and by the many letters both of patients and physician colleagues that document the ease of suffering due to the application of Dr. Hamer's discoveries, it is unacceptable to construe Dr. Hamer' publications as a “crime” rather than regard his scientific work as a most valuable contribution to the “protection of health”.
In view of the German Superior Court verdict (BGH-IV ZR 135/92) that every cancer therapy is in fact an experiment and that standard medicine is unable to understand cancer on a scientific basis, the ongoing suppression of German New Medicine and Dr. Hamer's imprisonment seems unfathomable.
Dr. Hamer's imprisonment in relation to the role of the University of Tübingen, Germany. In October 1981, Dr. Hamer presented his findings of the “Five Biological Laws of the New Medicine” to the Medical Faculty of the University of Tuebingen as a post-doctoral thesis. To this day, the Medical Faculty of the University has refused to test Dr. Hamer's research in spite of its legal obligation to do so and in opposition to a court order from the administrative court Sigmaringen, Germany (AZ 3 K 1180/86; 17.10.1986).
On August 18, 2003, upon request of Dr. Hamer, Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Niemitz of the Advanced Institute of Technology, Economy and Culture of Leipzig, Germany, wrote a scientific report entitled “The New Medicine a New Natural Science”. Professors Keuth (science theoretician) and Rassner (medical doctor) both from the University of Tübingen wrote a response to this report. In his “response to the response”-letter, dated March 18th, 2004 Prof. Niemitz quotes the following excerpts from the proceedings of the administrative court in Sigmaringen:
“On December 16, 1986, Professor Voigt, Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Tuebingen was asked in court, whether Dr. Hamer could be right with his “New Medicine”. Prof. Voigt affirmed this, adding: 'Conventional medicine knows practically nothing about cancer!' The Dean was also asked, if it is correct what Dr. Hamer claims, that the New Medicine could be scientifically reproduced and tested within just one or two days. Prof. Voigt: 'If in one, two or three days, I am not sure, but in principle he is right!'. Asked if he could remember that he had promised Dr. Hamer back in 1981 that the New Medicine would be tested as to its scientific accuracy, Prof. Voigt answered: 'It is correct that I promised that, however, the Medical Faculty rejected the evaluation of the thesis. That is why I could not keep my promise!' The committee rejected his work (150:0 votes with no abstention)!
“Judge Dr. Iber asked the Dean:
‘'Professor Voigt, you are saying that Dr. Hamer could be right and you also admit that it would be possible to scientifically test the accuracy of his findings within one to three days! But if his New Medicine is correct, then you must approve it!’ Prof. Voigt: ‘Yes!’. Dr. Iber: ‘Now I am at a loss. Professor Voigt, you are saying that Dr. Hamer could be right and that you could test that within a short period of time. So why don't you test his findings?’ Prof. Voigt: ‘We don't want to know, whether Hamer is right!’ … Dr. Iber: ‘What? You don't even want to find out, whether Dr. Hamer's “New Medicine” is correct? This is a post-doctoral thesis. You are legally obliged to test it!’ Prof. Voigt: ‘That is incorrect. We are only obliged to perform the proceedings. We are not interested in whether Dr. Hamer is right!’ … Dr. Iber: ‘In other words, you don't want to find out, although it would be an easy procedure to do so and although you are bound by law to test his findings and although it would have far-reaching consequences?’ Prof. Voigt: ‘No, we don't want to know. And I will always vote against Dr. Hamer, no matter what he writes!’ ” As a result of both the University of Tuebingen's refusal to test Dr. Hamer's scientific discoveries and the negligence of the Ministry of Science of Baden-Wuettemberg to properly supervise the post-doctoral thesis proceedings, Dr. Hamer was stripped of his medical license, was imprisoned for 19 months in a German jail, was forced to live in exile in Spain, and is now in prison in France. Dr. Hamer has been suffering tremendously as a consequence of the government's misconduct. But not only Dr. Hamer has been suffering. For more than two decades, every year thousands of patients have been denied the chance to be treated according to German New Medicine with its humane, non-invasive approach.
In October 2004, the German magazine “SPIEGEL” (Nr. 41) published a three page article on Chemo“therapy” entitled “Gift ohne Nutzen” - Englisch: “Toxic Treatment without Effect”. The article reveals that Chemo has no therapeutic effect at all but significantly worsens the quality of life. The article also points out that often patients do NOT die of the cancer but of the side effects of the “therapy”.
Already back in 1989, Professor Dr. Abel from the Cancer Research Institute in Heidelberg, Germany, confirmed in his publication “Chemotherapies applied to Advanced Cancers” that 98% of the cancer patients die within 5 years after the therapy. – Conversely, a cancer treatment according to Dr. Hamer's findings offers a 92% chance of survival! These statistics for German New Medicine's remarkable success rate was delivered by a public prosecutor. When Dr. Hamer was arrested in 1997, the police searched his patients' files. Subsequently, one public prosecutor was forced to admit during the trial that, after five years, 6,000 out of 6,500 patients with mostly 'terminal' cancer were still alive.
It should also be mentioned that in spite of ten requests by Dr. Hamer's lawyer, the court in Chambery also refuses to order the scientific evaluation of the “Five Biological Laws of the New Medicine”. In fact, the court accepted UNAFDI, the state Anti-sect department as an accessory prosecutor in the case. The objective is to publicly discredit Dr. Hamer and portray him as a sect leader.
Dr. Hamer's humiliating treatment in the French prison Fleury-Mérogis In his letter dated October 21st, 2004 Dr. Hamer writes about his treatment in prison:
“The last three days were an absolute horror. For 45 hours I was deprived of sleep. Over and over again, I was searched and stripped of my clothes. For two days I was forced to sleep on a cold tile floor with no blanket and no mat. The whole day, all I got to eat was one sandwich and ½ liter of water, and this only at 2pm. I was handcuffed just to walk the 20 meters to the toilet … I feel like I am in a concentration camp. From the beginning it was suggested that I should voluntarily undergo psychiatric evaluation. The “crime” that I committed is now established: “Illegal medical practice ‘en general‘’, i.e. through my publications.”
Based on Article 3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom such treatment is illegal.
Dr. Hamer's letter also reveals that so far none of his family members had been able to contact him. On the contrary, any contact with him was deliberately blocked. According to a note, dated November 8th, 2004, posted at, Dr. Hamer's son still had not gotten permission to contact his father. As of today this situation has not changed!
A prior note from Dr. Hamer to his friends, dated October 10th, 2004, is also disconcerting. He wrote: “Today I received the notification that I will be extradited to France ... Already a week ago, one of my lawyers told me, that should I be extradited – which is most likely the case due to political pressure – he will ask the Spanish government to request from the French authorities that I will not be tortured and not committed to a psychiatric clinic … Obviously, torture is common practice in France.”
According to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights torture is illegal. This applies also to France.
Let us summarize:
1) In Dr. Hamer's case the fundamental right to freedom of expression is interpreted as a criminal act
2) It is considered a crime that an experienced medical doctor made his “new” scientific discoveries, which (naturally) differ from the “old” theories of standard medicine, available to the public. The fact that his findings have been verified by several sources, including a University committee, has been totally dismissed.
3) The ongoing refusal of the Medical Faculty of the University of Tuebingen to test Dr. Hamer's findings is directly connected to his present incarceration in a French prison.
Mr. Strasser, we ask you in your position as president of the German Section of the International PEN, to intervene on behalf of Dr. Hamer. Please let us know as soon as possible (via email or fax) what we can do on our part to support any of the “Writers-in-Prison Committees” actions to plea for Dr. Hamer's immediate release. For your information: Amnesty International has also been informed about Dr. Hamer's situation.
Best regards,
signed, Caroline Markolin, Ph.D.
President, German New Medicine Association
P.S.: We reserve the right to publish this letter
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