Vancouver, British Columbia -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/6/2005 -- For years , a Vancouver resident and mother, has lived in terror that she would again be taken from her home against her will, slammed into a psychiatric ward, and forcibly injected with a powerful psychiatric drug unless she conformed to every wish of a Vancouver mental “health” team and continued taking one of psychiatry’s mind altering drugs.

Her first incarceration was in October 2001 but the nightmare occurred again in February 2005 when she was once more forcibly removed from her home by the police under the British Columbia Mental Health Act.

On the first occasion she was taken to the University of British Columbia Hospital’s psychiatric ward were she was forcibly injected with a powerful psychiatric drug and told she had no rights to refuse the drug. On the second occasion she was taken to St. Paul’s hospital and subsequently to UBC Hospital where she was again drugged.

“I was terrified” said Ms. Bosnjak. “I had no idea what was going on”. “There were policemen in my house but I had committed no crime.” “They told me that they had to take me away.” “I was taken to the psychiatric ward at the University of British Columbia Hospital were I was put in a room that had no windows, a mattress on the floor and an open toilet in the corner.” “It was like a jail cell”. “I was told by a nurse that I would be receiving an injection and when I refused the nurse told me I had no rights to refuse.” “Then two very large men came into the room forced me onto the floor so the nurse could Inject me”. After the injection my leg became paralyzed.” “This was the first time I was removed forcibly from my home”. “I found out later that the reason the police took me away is because someone thought I was acting strangely.”

“During my February encounter, I was told by the police that the reason they were taking me away was because I had missed a psychiatric appointment.” “This time I called a representative of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights who immediately came to my rescue.” “Although CCHR did all they could help me keep my basic human rights intact, I was still taken away to St.Paul’s Hospital and later to the UBC hospital, where, in spite of my refusals, was again drugged.”

“Now, almost a year later, through the help of CCHR, I have it in writing that the psychiatrists and their henchmen will leave me alone to live my life.” ” I am very interested in doing what I can to make sure this does not happen to anyone else,” said Ms. Bosnjak.

Under the British Columbia Mental Health Act, the police can be ordered to apprehend anyone who in the opinion of another is considered to have a “mental disorder” that impairs their ability (a) to react appropriately to the person's environment, or (b) to associate with others. The person can then be forcibly removed from their home in handcuffs, taken to the nearest psychiatric unit where they can be restrained, possibly given electric-shock and forcibly drugged against their will.

Brian Beaumont, President of the Vancouver chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights said, "Never have incidents of psychiatric injustice been more evident than in the mental health field where laws have empowered psychiatrists to seize people and, without trial, not only deprive them of their liberty, but commit abusive acts upon them. Committed by anyone else in society, these acts would result in charges of false imprisonment, assault and even rape. People need to know their rights when faced with abuse such as this and CCHR is here to help them.

Through psychiatrists' false diagnoses, stigmatizing labels, easy-seizure commitment laws, brutal, depersonalizing "treatments", thousands of individuals are harmed and denied their inherent human rights which are guaranteed by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in particular the following precepts.

Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. .

CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and prominent Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus of New York University and author, Dr. Thomas Szasz, when the need for intensive reform of psychiatry became apparent. CCHR has exposed hundreds of unexplained or improper deaths in psychiatric institutions, waste and theft of millions of mental health appropriations, the psychiatric rape of patients and many other abuses.

Anyone with information on abuses by psychiatrists or psychiatric facilities is asked to contact CCHR's Psychiatric Abuse Line at 1 800 670 2247 or e-mail humanrights@llightspeed.ca All confidence will be protected.