This site has been setup to raise awareness about and show solidarity for the 20 health workers in Bahrain, who were:
- arrested by masked gunmen without showing warrants;
- tortured;
- forced to sign confessions under duress;
- given an unfair military trial;
- sentenced from between 5 years up to 15 years in prison.
Their crime? There’s a long list of charges which are listed here. But it appears that the reality is the Bahrani government are attempting to silence any of the medics who witnessed first hand the injuries inflicted by government security forces and are likely to speak out about what they have seen (many of them having spoken to the media before they were arrested).
Read some of the personal testimonies of what happened to the doctors here:
- Dr Abdulkhaliq Aloraibi
- Dr Ahmed Omran
- Dr Ali Al Ekri
- Dr Bassim Dhaif
- Dr Fatima Haji
- Dr Ghassan Dhaif
- Dr Hasan Al Tublani
- Dr Mahmood Asghar
- Dr Nada Dhaif
- Dr Saeed Al Samahiji
- Dr Zahra Al Sammak
The medics are requesting the following:
- All charges should be dropped.
- All future court hearings shoulds be observed by the United Nations to ensure its conforms to standards of a fair trial.
- All violations of humans rights, kidnapping and mistreatment especially torture need to be investigated as do those who were directly involved.
- The medics should be reinstated to their jobs and fairly compensated.
Latest News
On 14th June 2012 verdicts were given following an appeal.
Nine medics were acquitted of all charges. They are: Dr Ahmed Omran, Rula Al Saffar, Sayed Al Wedaie, Dr Nada Dhaif, Dr Fatima Haji, Dr Najah Al Haddad, Dr Zahra Al Sammak, Dr Hasan Al Tublani, Mohammed Faiq Ali.
Nine medics had their sentences reduced as follows: Dr Nader Diwani (1 month), Dr Mahmood Asghar (6 months), Dr Abdulkhaliq Aloraibi (1 month), Dr Bassim Dhaif (1 month), Dheya Ibrahim AbuIdris (2 months), Dr Ali Al Ekri (5 years), Dr Ghassan Dhaif (1 year), Dr Saeed Al Samahiji (1 year), Ibrahim Al Demistani (3 years).
Two medics were convicted in absentia to the original 15 years in prison, since they have left the country and are not expected to return. They are Ali Al Sadadi and Qassim Omran.
Lawyers appealed against these verdicts but on 1st October this appeal was rejected and on 2nd October 2012 six of the medics were rearrested to complete their terms in jail, the other four already having completed theirs. Details of all medics now in prison can be read here.
Doctors In Chains believes all medics to be totally innocent. After extensive research into these cases we have never seen any evidence that has led us to believe these medics are anything but honorable professionals who followed their Hippocratic Oath and treated the wounded without discrimination, despite great risk to themselves.
4 comments
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Eman
October 7, 2011 at 5:15 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
These articles might be helpful.. please arrange to transalte them.
http://www.alwatannews.net/news.aspx?id=Q6IrKRy2SpAaY8RjoRQuUg==
http://www.alwatannews.net/news.aspx?id=oyL+Ok0mlpjYFOeDll7XRA==
AhmedRadhi
October 9, 2011 at 12:42 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Doctors of Bahrain have their houses stormed destroying the content of the houses doors, furnitures people by masked civilian armed thugs beaten and blindfolded doctors and beaten before their childerns and families, in sleeping clothes towed by robes along the stairs roads pavement to police cars taken to unknown loaction families and doctors have not been totld why or where they going to, no news as their families trying to get some news in vain, they bean taken to torture chambers each Doctors bean beaten for weeks electro shock and all type of torturing techniques for months while Bahrain government blocked all the news imparked in public image destroying campain to destroy their image showing them under torture confession in national TV and after all the torturing taken to military court where lawyer not allowed to to defend all lawyers defense and request to highlight the truth was REJECTED some of the tweets of DOCTORS lawyers saying all their request where REJECTED by the judge.
@RU4rights2 WOW 41 years PM
#Bahrain #Doctors lawyers R @hameedAlmulla we asked Salmaniya Hospital official Testimony REJECTED @amnesty @HRW @lindaWms60
Suzan
October 9, 2011 at 5:57 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
The dectatorship in Bahrain punished those brave doctors because they were witnesses to the bruitality of the regieme. I think supporting them must include putting pressure on the western countries to put human rights issues ahead of their economic interests. Al Khalifa regieme must stop its crimes towards the doctors and peaceful demonstrators.
Caroline
December 5, 2011 at 3:00 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Its a disgrace what has happened these doctors acted in the appropriate way they heal the injured. In the western world we have criminals that are the lowest of the low and deserve to be shot but they get the best hospital treatment and can sue!!! These people that were terribly injured are NOT criminals they were peacefuly expressing their opinion and look at what has happened to them. I wish the disgusting criminals of UK could come here amd see how they would be treated especialy the last case of child abuse of a one month child who has had every bone broken in his body well the Bahrain police would certainly break every bone in the parents body. These doctors are innocent of any crime they are educated, proffesional kind people who helped innocent protesters.