Citizens Commission on Human Rights

From Anonymoustoronto

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a front group established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz. The group promotes several video campaigns which support views against psychiatry. The organization holds that mental illness is not a medical disease, and that the use of psychiatric medication is a destructive and fraudulent practice. The CCHR continues to be entirely controlled by and subject to policy directives issued from the Church of Scientology. The group is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

CCHR

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a front group dedicated to bringing about the end of the practices of Psychiatry and Psychology. Its stated goal is to fight what it calls "human rights crimes" by mental health professionals. L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics attracted highly critical reviews from science and medical writers and organizations, including the American Psychological Association. Hubbard and Scientology saw Psychiatry as its main competitor to Dianetics.

Robert Dobson-Smith is the President of CCHR Canada. He is a Scientologist.[1]

Brian Beaumont is the President of the British Columbia chapter of CCHR.

humanrights@lightspeed.ca, humanrights@cchrbc.ca; phone: (604)689-4417

Among some if CCHR's more bizarre claims are:

Psychiatrists were behind the Holocaust
Psychiatrists were behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks

Debunking CCHR

- biological basis of mental illness

Scientology victims

Lisa McPherson

Lisa McPherson was a member of the Church of Scientology who died of a pulmonary embolism on December 5, 1995 while under the care of the Church of Scientology. Afterwards, the Church of Scientology was indicted on two felony charges, "abuse and/or neglect of a disabled adult" and "practicing medicine without a license." On November 18 McPherson was involved in a minor car accident. She became confused and began exhibiting bizarre behaviour. She was brought to hospital by paramedics. Hospital staff thought she was physically unharmed but decided to keep her for observation. However, McPherson declined to be admitted and checked herself out. She was taken to Scientology's Fort Harrison Hotel by Scientologists and kept in isolation for an Introspection Rundown. Her condition deteriorated over the next 17 days before she was taken to a hospital where she was pronouced dead on arrival. The coroner's report showed that she was dehydrated, had insect bites on her body and bedsores. The charges against the Church of Scientology were dropped after the state's medical examiner changed the cause of death from "undetermined" to an "accident" on June 13, 2000. A civil suit for wrongful death, brought by her family against the Church was settled out of court on May 28, 2004.

Elli Perkins

Elli Perkins was another member of the Church of Scientology who was also killed under tragic circumstances. She died on March 13, 2003. Her son, Jeremy, developed schizophrenia at age 24. She felt that Psychiatry was evil (which was consistent with her Scientology beliefs), and sought alternatives to Psychiatry to treat Jeremy's illness. A Scientologist Osteopath treated him with vitamin therapy, but Jeremy's paranoia made him think they were poisoning him. His schizophrenia worsened and at age 28, he stabbed his mother to death after an unsuccessful suicide attempt.

Jan Eastgate

President of the CCHR and winner of the Church of Scientology Freedom Medal for her "work" on human rights, Jan Eastgate, has been implicated in covering up the sexual abuse of an 11 year old girl in the Australian branch of the church. Eastgate was head of the Australian CCHR at the time, the girl was abused by her Scientologist stepfather from she was 8 to 11 years.

Top Scientologist 'covered up sex abuse', ABC Australia Lateline (May 19, 2010) - Youtube
- Lateline interview with Amy Scobee - Youtube, [2]

CCHR in Canada

Canada national office

27 Carlton Street, Suite 304
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 1L2
Canada
Phone: 416-971-8555
Abuse hotline: 866-34-ABUSE
Email: info@cchrcanada.org
http://cchrcanada.org/

See the Recon page for photos.

Known supporters

Taryn Bryenton - Scientologist. (Her MySpace page)

Activities in Toronto

CCHR held anti-drug/anti-psychiatric seminars titled "The Truth About ADD/ADHD" at Mimico Public Library (on June 3, 2010 and July 7, 2010) and at York University, Whitby Campus (on June 16, 2010).[3]

Activities in Canada

CCHR set up a controversial display at Concordia University on April 9, 2009
CCHR objects to all-day kindergarten in Ontario.
CCHR his infiltrated the Durham Foster Parent Association, as evidenced by all the links on their website

Protesting CCHR in Toronto

The Canadian Psychiatric Association 60th Annual Conference is September 23-26, 2010 in Toronto at the Westin Harbour Castle. Anonymous anticipates that CCHR will be protesting or picketing the conference and will likely be bringing their horror-show of a travelling exhibit "Psychiatry: an Industry of Death".

On Friday the 24th Dr. Stephen Wiseman is delivering a 75-minute workshop on Scientology v. Psychiatry - "No Pleasure Cruise: The Troubled Relationship Between Psychiatry and the Church of Scientology" - at the conference (see program page A4). Dr. Wiseman is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia Department of Psychiatry and has spoken out about Scientology's war on Psychiatry. He gave a seminar about Scientology recently at Skepticamp:

Protest planning

Local area map by Fapquest

Dates: Thursday September 23 - Saturday September 25, 2010
Location:

Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, 1 Harbour Square, Toronto, Ontario M5J 1A6 (Google maps)
the Org on Yonge Street

Meetup: ??? Check on IRC or the planning thread on WWP

Time:

Friday September 24, 2010 - Westin Harbour Castle Hotel - time TBA
Saturday September 25, 2010 - Toronto Org - time TBA (probably 11:00 AM)

Directions

by TTC

Go to Union Station. Without exiting the station, proceed to the streetcar platform. Take the streetcar to the first stop (Queens Quay).

The Plan

Groups of Anons are to position outside the hotel entrance on Queens Quay to counter any CCHR demonstration. Stay on the sidewalk opposite to the CCHR. Bring flyers and signs.