European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Team ends Itric inspection Moscow a after an unprecedented inspection of soviet mental hospitals us officials said sat urday that they could not determine whether patients still arc held because of their political beliefs. A learn of psychiatrists lawyers and interpreters interviewed 27 patients and former mental patients in a review spurred by Western charges of widespread psychiatric abuses. The soviet Union withdrew from the world psychiatry association in 1983 under pressure from inc West. It has pledged to end abuses and Hopes to be readmitted this year to the association. At a news conference saturday the americans re fused to discuss individual cases or their conclusions about the soviet mental health system. We will not deny that this has been a very sensitive and difficult undertaking to carry out to our full sat  said delegation Leader Hobart w. Farrald of the stale department s Bureau of human rights and humanitarian affairs. Asked whether he could say if there were any Politi Cal prisoners still in soviet mental hospitals Farrand responded that no one can prove the  he said however that tie human rights situation in the soviet Union had improved substantially. The number of people inc . Government lists As political prisoners is Well Down from 750 to years ago Farrand said we would no have agreed As a government to come to Moscow in 1991 for a human rights conference if we had not been convinced that die question pro Lical prisoners had in the  resolved he said. The team s Lead psychiatrist or. Loren h. Roth of the University of Pittsburgh s Law and psychiatry pro Gram said thai soviet officials were late in providing some medical records and that some patients had been discouraged from consenting to interviews. However he said the group eventually was Able to inter View those people. Delegation sources who spoke on Condi Tion of anonymity Saiof they had no indication of retribution against patients who gave interviews. Yuri a re Shutov Bead of the soviet foreign ministry s office of. International cooperation and humanitarian affairs said there arc no political prisoners in mental hospitals. ,.but he said some people named on Western human rights lists May be undergoing treatment due to specific Concrete actions against the  of the 27 people interviewed is were in menial Hospi tals and 12 were former mental patients Farrand said. All were being held Tor political reasons according to reports by Western human rights monitors. Patients were permitted to request hot soviet doctors not represent during the interviews. The americans visited seven mental hospitals including facilities in Kazan Leningrad and chem Yak Hovik under inc control of the Interior ministry which is responsible actor the soviet Union s uniformed police. Under a government decree issued in january 1988, those hospitals Are being transferred to the health ministry which runs All other mental hospitals the decree  it a crime for anyone to knowingly. Commit a sane person Toa menial institution,. Officials said they would Complete a summary of their report in four to six weeks. Monday March 13, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 the two men chosen to alternate in playing the role of Christ and the two women who will Nurl Ruy mar in Ihu 1990 passion play Are from left Elisabeth Petre Stefan Rendl Martin Nora and Ursula by Kurt. Mother of 2 to ploy Vergn Mary breaking passion play tradition Oberammergau West Germany a in an unprecedented break with centuries old tradition a 36-year-old Mother of two was chosen sat urday to May the role of Virgin Mary in a cram Mcgrau s passion play be i year. Elisabeth pct re a housewife and Mother of two Young sons became the first married woman and the first older than 35 to be picked for the role in More than 3joyears since his bavarian Village first staged the passion play. The Choice by the 26-Mcmbcr All male passion play committee was a major Victory for he play s controversial director Christian set Luckl a 27-year old woodcutter who wants to modcrni7.c the production. The Choice prompted jeers and whistles from about 200 local people waiting outside the Hall to hear the results of the vote for 18 leading roles in the cast of 1,700, passion play rules Laid Down by the villagers when the first performance was staged in .1634 to Ward off the plague stipulate that Only single women younger a hands Are allowed to act  play. Per said women should have an equal role to that of men in making decisions regarding the play a major source of income for the Village. Women should be Able to vote on matters re. Garding the play pct re Lold the associated  think older women and women with children should have the right to take part in the play. Per haps my Choice is a beginning. Three local women protesting what they a Iid is sexual discrimination have gone to court to de Mand equal rights for women in 1 Assion play Nat ters. The court decision is not expected before .rie-m.year, ,. Ursula Burka i a 27-year-old nurse was selected to alternate in the role of Virgin Mary with pct re when the passion play performances begin Mav 20. 1990. Martini Nora 24. And Stefan Reindl. 28. Holly employed in the Village administration were chosen to alternate in the Rojc of Christ. In another significant break with tradition a lutheran Church Mei tiber seas picked for one of the 18 Cading roles  s population of 5,000is overwhelmingly roman Catholic Ocram Mcgrau s passion play originated with a vow the villagers ancestors Iti Adu in 163.1. Wiluin inc plague was ravaging the area. They made a pledge to stage a passion play portraying Jesus Christ s life every in years if Ilic plague abated. The play started in. 1634-arid, according to historical accounts the epidemic vanished. What was regarded As a Miracle the last performances took place in 198�. In a change from inc. Once a decade sequence to. Mark the play s 350th Jubilee year local officials expect about Hall a million visitors from All Over. The world for the open air performances Between May and september next year and to pre tax profit of about 15 million Marks so Mil lion. Archie has heart bypass Atlanta a Carroll o Connor who placed the iraqi ble Archie Bunker on television s All in the family had coronary bypass surgery saturday at Atlanta s Emory University  Connor 64, was doing Well after five Oun of cardiac b pass surgery in which doctors per formed six grafts to repair damage around his heart Hospital spokeswoman Judy Smith said o Connor s surgery was ordered Friday after a routine physical examination at Emory. Fund drive s Success redly apparent London a Britain s love of  with plastic red noses raised millions. Of dollars for Charity for the second car in a Row organizers said saturday. Millions of britons donned the Clown like protuberances Friday and put them on cars planes mountaintops statues and pigtails in a Madcap series of 50,000 fund raising events capped by a seven hour red Noss Day television spectacular comic Relief the coalition of Comedi ans and Aid groups that organized the Cunt said saturday that it expected to raise far More than the 15.s million pounds $27 million collected during the first red nose Day last year television viewers had pledged 10.4 million pounds $17,9 million by Sal urday morning far above the 2.5 million pounds $4,3 million pledged at the same Lime last year. _ in addition 6 million shiny red noses were sold at pubs stores and Charity shops for 50 Pence 86 cents each. An additional 2 million larger Modavis for Rucks Axis and cars went for a Pound