apartheid 'Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient - Cananda

[Guest guest]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/28/aubrey-levin-charged-sexually-abusing-patient

'Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient

Canadian police

investigate dozens of allegations against psychiatrist nicknamed for

use of electricity to 'cure' gay soldiers

McGreal

in Washington

guardian.co.uk,

Sunday 28 March 2010 19.47 BST

A leading Canadian

psychiatrist who kept accusations of gross human rights abuses in

apartheid-era South Africa hidden has been charged in Calgary with

sexually abusing a male patient and is being investigated over dozens

of other allegations.

Dr Aubrey Levin, who in South Africa was

known as Dr Shock for his use of electricity to "cure" gay military

conscripts, was arrested after a patient secretly filmed the

psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances. Levin, who worked at the

University of Calgary's medical school, has been suspended from

practising and is free on bail of C$50,000 (£32,000) on charges of

repeatedly indecently assaulting a 36-year-old man.

The police

say they are investigating similar claims by nearly 30 other patients.

The Alberta justice department is reviewing scores of criminal

convictions in which Levin was a prosecution witness.

Levin has

worked in Canada for 15 years since leaving South Africa, where he was

chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military and became notorious

for using electric shocks to "cure" gay white conscripts. He also held

conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital

because they were "disturbed" and subjected them to powerful drug

regimens.

South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

heard that Levin was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" including

chemical castration of gay men. But after arriving in Canada in 1995 he

managed to suppress public discussion of his past by threatening

lawsuits against news organisations that attempted to explore it.

Following

the arrest, other male patients have contacted the authorities. One,

who was not identified, told CTV in Canada that he had gone to Levin

for help with a gambling addiction and alleged he had been questioned

about his sex life and subject to sexual advances.

The arrest has

raised questions about how Levin was allowed to settle in Canada.

Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of

human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known

as Dr Death for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare

experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.

Levin,

who made no secret of his hard rightwing views and was a member of the

ruling National party during apartheid, has a long history of

homophobia.

In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee

considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying

that they should be left in place because he could "cure" gay people.

His

efforts to do just that in the army began in 1969 at the infamous ward

22 at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria, which

ostensibly catered for service personnel with psychological problems.

Commanding officers and chaplains were encouraged to refer "deviants"

for electroconvulsive aversion therapy.

The treatment consisted

of strapping electrodes to the upper arm. Homosexual soldiers were

shown pictures of a naked man and encouraged to fantasise, and then the

power was ratcheted up.

Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist on ward 22, saw a lesbian

subjected to severe shocks.

"It was traumatic. I could not believe her body could handle it,"

she said later.

One

gay soldier claimed to have been chemically castrated by Levin. The

Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told by investigators that he

was not alone. It also heard that at least one patient had been driven

to suicide. Levin refused to testify before the commission.

Levin

also treated drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and

men who objected to serving in the apartheid-era military on moral

grounds, who were classified as "disturbed".

Levin subjected some

patients to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the slow

injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began. In an

interview with the Guardian 10 years ago, he did not deny its use but

said it was solely to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic

stress.

Levin said he left South Africa only because of the high

crime rate, and denied abusing human rights. He said electric shock

therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those

subjected to it did so voluntarily.

"Nobody was held against his

or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian

communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there

voluntarily," he told the Guardian in 2000.

[Guest guest]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/28/aubrey-levin-charged-sexually-abusing-patient

'Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient

Canadian police

investigate dozens of allegations against psychiatrist nicknamed for

use of electricity to 'cure' gay soldiers

McGreal

in Washington

guardian.co.uk,

Sunday 28 March 2010 19.47 BST

A leading Canadian

psychiatrist who kept accusations of gross human rights abuses in

apartheid-era South Africa hidden has been charged in Calgary with

sexually abusing a male patient and is being investigated over dozens

of other allegations.

Dr Aubrey Levin, who in South Africa was

known as Dr Shock for his use of electricity to "cure" gay military

conscripts, was arrested after a patient secretly filmed the

psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances. Levin, who worked at the

University of Calgary's medical school, has been suspended from

practising and is free on bail of C$50,000 (£32,000) on charges of

repeatedly indecently assaulting a 36-year-old man.

The police

say they are investigating similar claims by nearly 30 other patients.

The Alberta justice department is reviewing scores of criminal

convictions in which Levin was a prosecution witness.

Levin has

worked in Canada for 15 years since leaving South Africa, where he was

chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military and became notorious

for using electric shocks to "cure" gay white conscripts. He also held

conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital

because they were "disturbed" and subjected them to powerful drug

regimens.

South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

heard that Levin was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" including

chemical castration of gay men. But after arriving in Canada in 1995 he

managed to suppress public discussion of his past by threatening

lawsuits against news organisations that attempted to explore it.

Following

the arrest, other male patients have contacted the authorities. One,

who was not identified, told CTV in Canada that he had gone to Levin

for help with a gambling addiction and alleged he had been questioned

about his sex life and subject to sexual advances.

The arrest has

raised questions about how Levin was allowed to settle in Canada.

Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of

human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known

as Dr Death for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare

experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.

Levin,

who made no secret of his hard rightwing views and was a member of the

ruling National party during apartheid, has a long history of

homophobia.

In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee

considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying

that they should be left in place because he could "cure" gay people.

His

efforts to do just that in the army began in 1969 at the infamous ward

22 at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria, which

ostensibly catered for service personnel with psychological problems.

Commanding officers and chaplains were encouraged to refer "deviants"

for electroconvulsive aversion therapy.

The treatment consisted

of strapping electrodes to the upper arm. Homosexual soldiers were

shown pictures of a naked man and encouraged to fantasise, and then the

power was ratcheted up.

Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist on ward 22, saw a lesbian

subjected to severe shocks.

"It was traumatic. I could not believe her body could handle it,"

she said later.

One

gay soldier claimed to have been chemically castrated by Levin. The

Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told by investigators that he

was not alone. It also heard that at least one patient had been driven

to suicide. Levin refused to testify before the commission.

Levin

also treated drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and

men who objected to serving in the apartheid-era military on moral

grounds, who were classified as "disturbed".

Levin subjected some

patients to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the slow

injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began. In an

interview with the Guardian 10 years ago, he did not deny its use but

said it was solely to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic

stress.

Levin said he left South Africa only because of the high

crime rate, and denied abusing human rights. He said electric shock

therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those

subjected to it did so voluntarily.

"Nobody was held against his

or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian

communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there

voluntarily," he told the Guardian in 2000.

[Guest guest]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/28/aubrey-levin-charged-sexually-abusing-patient

'Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient

Canadian police

investigate dozens of allegations against psychiatrist nicknamed for

use of electricity to 'cure' gay soldiers

McGreal

in Washington

guardian.co.uk,

Sunday 28 March 2010 19.47 BST

A leading Canadian

psychiatrist who kept accusations of gross human rights abuses in

apartheid-era South Africa hidden has been charged in Calgary with

sexually abusing a male patient and is being investigated over dozens

of other allegations.

Dr Aubrey Levin, who in South Africa was

known as Dr Shock for his use of electricity to "cure" gay military

conscripts, was arrested after a patient secretly filmed the

psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances. Levin, who worked at the

University of Calgary's medical school, has been suspended from

practising and is free on bail of C$50,000 (£32,000) on charges of

repeatedly indecently assaulting a 36-year-old man.

The police

say they are investigating similar claims by nearly 30 other patients.

The Alberta justice department is reviewing scores of criminal

convictions in which Levin was a prosecution witness.

Levin has

worked in Canada for 15 years since leaving South Africa, where he was

chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military and became notorious

for using electric shocks to "cure" gay white conscripts. He also held

conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital

because they were "disturbed" and subjected them to powerful drug

regimens.

South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

heard that Levin was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" including

chemical castration of gay men. But after arriving in Canada in 1995 he

managed to suppress public discussion of his past by threatening

lawsuits against news organisations that attempted to explore it.

Following

the arrest, other male patients have contacted the authorities. One,

who was not identified, told CTV in Canada that he had gone to Levin

for help with a gambling addiction and alleged he had been questioned

about his sex life and subject to sexual advances.

The arrest has

raised questions about how Levin was allowed to settle in Canada.

Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of

human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known

as Dr Death for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare

experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.

Levin,

who made no secret of his hard rightwing views and was a member of the

ruling National party during apartheid, has a long history of

homophobia.

In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee

considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying

that they should be left in place because he could "cure" gay people.

His

efforts to do just that in the army began in 1969 at the infamous ward

22 at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria, which

ostensibly catered for service personnel with psychological problems.

Commanding officers and chaplains were encouraged to refer "deviants"

for electroconvulsive aversion therapy.

The treatment consisted

of strapping electrodes to the upper arm. Homosexual soldiers were

shown pictures of a naked man and encouraged to fantasise, and then the

power was ratcheted up.

Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist on ward 22, saw a lesbian

subjected to severe shocks.

"It was traumatic. I could not believe her body could handle it,"

she said later.

One

gay soldier claimed to have been chemically castrated by Levin. The

Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told by investigators that he

was not alone. It also heard that at least one patient had been driven

to suicide. Levin refused to testify before the commission.

Levin

also treated drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and

men who objected to serving in the apartheid-era military on moral

grounds, who were classified as "disturbed".

Levin subjected some

patients to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the slow

injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began. In an

interview with the Guardian 10 years ago, he did not deny its use but

said it was solely to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic

stress.

Levin said he left South Africa only because of the high

crime rate, and denied abusing human rights. He said electric shock

therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those

subjected to it did so voluntarily.

"Nobody was held against his

or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian

communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there

voluntarily," he told the Guardian in 2000.

[Guest guest]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/28/aubrey-levin-charged-sexually-abusing-patient

'Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient

Canadian police

investigate dozens of allegations against psychiatrist nicknamed for

use of electricity to 'cure' gay soldiers

McGreal

in Washington

guardian.co.uk,

Sunday 28 March 2010 19.47 BST

A leading Canadian

psychiatrist who kept accusations of gross human rights abuses in

apartheid-era South Africa hidden has been charged in Calgary with

sexually abusing a male patient and is being investigated over dozens

of other allegations.

Dr Aubrey Levin, who in South Africa was

known as Dr Shock for his use of electricity to "cure" gay military

conscripts, was arrested after a patient secretly filmed the

psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances. Levin, who worked at the

University of Calgary's medical school, has been suspended from

practising and is free on bail of C$50,000 (£32,000) on charges of

repeatedly indecently assaulting a 36-year-old man.

The police

say they are investigating similar claims by nearly 30 other patients.

The Alberta justice department is reviewing scores of criminal

convictions in which Levin was a prosecution witness.

Levin has

worked in Canada for 15 years since leaving South Africa, where he was

chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military and became notorious

for using electric shocks to "cure" gay white conscripts. He also held

conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital

because they were "disturbed" and subjected them to powerful drug

regimens.

South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

heard that Levin was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" including

chemical castration of gay men. But after arriving in Canada in 1995 he

managed to suppress public discussion of his past by threatening

lawsuits against news organisations that attempted to explore it.

Following

the arrest, other male patients have contacted the authorities. One,

who was not identified, told CTV in Canada that he had gone to Levin

for help with a gambling addiction and alleged he had been questioned

about his sex life and subject to sexual advances.

The arrest has

raised questions about how Levin was allowed to settle in Canada.

Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of

human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known

as Dr Death for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare

experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.

Levin,

who made no secret of his hard rightwing views and was a member of the

ruling National party during apartheid, has a long history of

homophobia.

In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee

considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying

that they should be left in place because he could "cure" gay people.

His

efforts to do just that in the army began in 1969 at the infamous ward

22 at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria, which

ostensibly catered for service personnel with psychological problems.

Commanding officers and chaplains were encouraged to refer "deviants"

for electroconvulsive aversion therapy.

The treatment consisted

of strapping electrodes to the upper arm. Homosexual soldiers were

shown pictures of a naked man and encouraged to fantasise, and then the

power was ratcheted up.

Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist on ward 22, saw a lesbian

subjected to severe shocks.

"It was traumatic. I could not believe her body could handle it,"

she said later.

One

gay soldier claimed to have been chemically castrated by Levin. The

Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told by investigators that he

was not alone. It also heard that at least one patient had been driven

to suicide. Levin refused to testify before the commission.

Levin

also treated drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and

men who objected to serving in the apartheid-era military on moral

grounds, who were classified as "disturbed".

Levin subjected some

patients to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the slow

injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began. In an

interview with the Guardian 10 years ago, he did not deny its use but

said it was solely to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic

stress.

Levin said he left South Africa only because of the high

crime rate, and denied abusing human rights. He said electric shock

therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those

subjected to it did so voluntarily.

"Nobody was held against his

or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian

communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there

voluntarily," he told the Guardian in 2000.