Ohio: Honor UN Ban on Forced Treatment - Free John Rohrer!

  • by: Susan V
  • recipient: Ohio Supreme Court

John Joseph Rohrer is a 33-year-old music composer and author of books on wellness and ethics. Although he has never been convicted of a crime, he is treated worse than a prison inmate. The United Nations calls it torture.

As the result of a series of illegal Ohio court proceedings - void of ANY evidence against him - John has been committed to a mental hospital for years. This hospital continuously refuses to allow John to be examined by his own doctors and instead force-medicates and sickens him with drugs so dangerous that their manufacturers have been ordered to pay $billions in court penalties. Even worse, after a hospital employee assaulted him, John faced retaliation for filing a formal complaint.

The UN recognizes forced “treatment” of any kind to be a human rights violation equal to torture. As a US citizen never accused of terrorism, John believes he is at least entitled to be free from torture.

His attorney agrees and has petitioned the Ohio Supreme Court for John’s unconditional release.

Anyone who thinks forced treatment is the answer to our "mental health" needs should read Psyche Rights' scholarly research by CEO Jim Gottstein.

http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=alr

Rohrer’s case raises issues of Ohio, federal, constitutional and international law. By signing this petition, you join John’s supporters in urging the Ohio Supreme Court to come down on the right side of these issues: ban forced treatment & Free John Rohrer!

We, the undersigned, join John’s supporters in expressing disapproval of the human rights violations committed against him.

The forced medications and other mistreatments and rights violations John has faced in Ohio are not isolated occurrences. Nor are the unlawful proceedings that commit people to these dangerous treatments uncommon - even though many safer and more effective options exist, like Open Dialogue, Soteria, peer support systems, empathic therapy and combinations of natural treatments.


It was recently discovered that no evidence was ever admitted in any court of law to justify John's confinement in the first place, much less keep him imprisoned and tortmented for years with unnecessarily dangerous drugging and illegal assaults and retaliation.


Despite Department of Justice penalties against drug company fraud concerning marketing schemes and cover-ups of dangerous drug side effects, psychiatrists continue to prescribe these drugs - often getting a free pass to commit harm, by their medical boards and by the courts. This is one reason the United Nations has recently, through its treaties prohibiting torture and discrimination against the disabled, recognized forced “treatment” of any kind to be a human rights violation.

John, his family, and a growing number of supporters request that concerned citizens join in his protest against his illegal confinement, forced drugging and the refusal of his hospital to allow him to be examined by his own doctor.


John’s case is significant because it not only deals with crimes committed against him and many others, but it raises issues of Ohio law, federal law, constitutional law, and international law.

We urge The Ohio Supreme Court to come down on the right side of this issue and order John's unconditional release from Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare (ABH)– the hospital in Athens, Ohio that continues to violate his rights.

Thanks for your time.

Update #39 years ago
The evidence is in – ABH has no good reason to keep John locked up or forced drugged, but 3 weeks after the last witness testified, Judge Holzapfel refuses to decide. This means John’s forced drugging, his illegal incarceration, & ABH’s retaliation against him, continue with impunity as his attorneys can neither stop it nor appeal. Please spread the word – justice delayed is justice denied.
Update #29 years ago
After 3+ years of forced drugging & almost 8 months of having his attorneys’ motions for his freedom ignored, John may finally get his day in court. Judge Leonard Holzapfel has
scheduled a pretrial hearing for 1 p.m EDT, on July 30, 2014 at the Ross County Courthouse, Chillicothe, Ohio. Judge Holzapfel had previously refused this hearing for many months. Please continue to support John's release.

Update #19 years ago
ABH continues to force inject Rohrer w/ a deadly drug (documented), bruising him in the process, & failing to allow video documentation of these violations of constitutional, state and patient rights. Even Gitmo detainees are afforded this much respect. ABH CEO Jane Krason, rights advocate Keith Hager & Dr. Max Magee have all been contacted requesting a response as to why the assaults continue & why ABH prohibits treatment by Rohrer's own doctor, who documents the physical harm ABH is causing.
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