Press Release June 2008 The “Clean Hands” Awards

UPDATE, June 6, 2008: Dr. Duesberg and Ms. Farber did indeed receive the “Clean Hands” Awards at a ceremony Wednesday, May 14, 2008, in Washington, D.C. — contrary to rumors that they did not. The ceremony was attended by the Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, retired member of Congress and former associate of Martin Luther King Jr., as well as several other members of Congress and their representatives.

EXPOSERS OF AIDS RESEARCH FRAUD DR. DUESBERG, CELIA FARBER TO ACCEPT AWARDS MAY 13-14

SAN FRANCISCO (Rethinking AIDS) May 8, 2008 — Rethinking AIDS, an international group of more than 2,500 scientists, doctors, journalists, health advocates and others, announced today that a prominent research scientist and a well-known AIDS journalist will accept "Clean Hands" awards as part of events on May 13-14 in Washington, D.C. The awards, given by the Alliance for Patient Safety and Semmelweis Society International, recognize public health "whistleblowers" — in their case, for their work in exposing fraud in AIDS research.

University of California at Berkeley microbiologist Peter Duesberg, Ph.D. (a board member of RA) and journalist Celia Farber will be two of 19 individuals to accept the awards at a ceremony Tuesday, May 13, at the Library of Congress in Washington (see event details below). On Wednesday, May 14, Dr. Duesberg and Ms. Farber will testify before a "No FEAR Tribunal" to inform members of Congress and the public of the dangers to all when whistleblowers are silenced.

The awards are presented as part of the second annual "Whistleblower Week in Washington." Whistleblower Week is sponsored by a coalition of organizations led by the No FEAR Institute, a group supporting government employees seeking fair treatment and employment protection for those who expose corruption. Since May 2002, when the federal No FEAR Act (Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act) passed, the Institute has sought even stronger guarantees for whistleblowers.

Please join us for these historic events honoring those taking a stand for integrity and courage in public affairs. We further invite you to explore further the abuses of the public trust endemic to AIDS research.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

(No reserved admission; arrive early)
Presentation of "Clean Hands" Awards

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Members' Room, Thomas Jefferson Building, The Library of Congress
First Street S.E., between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street, Washington
Screening of film "The Constant Gardener"
Introduction by Peter Duesberg and Celia Farber; discussion following

6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location to be announced
"No FEAR Tribunal"

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. - House of Representatives Testimony
Room 2200, Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Avenue, South Capitol Street, First Street, and C Street S.W., Washington

1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. - Senate Testimony
Room 215, Dirksen Senate Office Building
Constitution Avenue, C Street, First Street, and Second Street N.E., Washington

MEDIA CONTACTS:

David Crowe
President
Calgary , Alberta , Canada (Mountain time zone)
1-403-289-6609 (office)
1-403-861-2225 (mobile)
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Elizabeth Ely
Public Relations Chairperson
Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. (Eastern time zone)
1-718-704-9672 (mobile)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rethinking AIDS: The Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV/AIDS Hypothesis ("RA" or "the Group") was formed in 1991 to express the concerns of a growing number of renowned scientists and medical doctors about HIV research and the resulting human rights abuses. In 1995, by a letter published in Science, the Group called for a thorough reappraisal of the existing evidence for and against the HIV/AIDS hypothesis and recommended that critical epidemiological studies be undertaken.

Among RA's founders and key members are University of Toronto professor emeritus and former cancer researcher Dr. Etienne de Harven; Harvard microbiologist Dr. Charles Thomas; 1993 Nobel laureate for chemistry Dr. Kary Mullis; Nature/Biotechnology co-founder Dr. Harvey Bialy; University of California at Berkeley molecular biologist Dr. Peter Duesberg and the late Yale mathematician Dr. Serge Lang, both members of the National Academy of Sciences; in Western Australia Dr. Eleni Papadopulos; and Glasgow University professor emeritus of public health and World Health Organization consultant Dr. Gordon Stewart.