Dr Saeed Al Samahiji

Only after two months of requesting the officers daily for the Holy Quran and the books of Du’aa (supplications and prayers) did I receive one.  One of the officers informed my that although they had these Holy Books, they were prohibited from distributing them to the prisoners. The officers hurled the most unsightly insults and ridicules against the supreme religious leaders, doctrinal locals, international leaders, political figures, medical staff of doctors and nurses, and paramedics and administrators, in order to destroy us psychologically and to weaken and break our morale (which was very strong), which they were unsuccessful in breaking.

They used all manner of dirty tactics and force against me in order to extract confessions according to the scenarios which were prepared in advance by the local and regional political leaders.

I was tortured and interrogated day and night at the Criminal (Drug) Department, and I was forced to stand for long hours, deprived of sleep for 5 days and starved of food and drink for two days. I was forced to live in unhygienic and unhealthy places and in rooms which were very cold. I was made to sit on the exposed floor, while my eyes were blindfolded and hands tied behind my back. This caused me a very severe headache and physical trembling and pain in my fingers and toes. On the sixth day I was interrogated more than 7 hours continuously in a room of the military prosecution.

I was then transferred at night to the Dry Dock prison in the”5th” Ambergris, where other doctors and detainees were also held. They continued to direct the same series of severe insults that occurred in Al-A’dlyia interrogation department as well as torture and ill-treatment but the intensity reduced and it was getting better by the day because of the doctors’ daily demands and protests for better prison conditions. During my stay at the Dry Dock prison I was taken several times to Al-A’dlyia interrogation department for interrogation whenever new matters were found. In the process I was continuously tortured.  They also tortured me when I was taken alone to the Qalaa’ clinic or BDF hospital for treatment of hypertension, examination of heart problems or psychological problems.

On the evening of the 31st May, myself along with the prisoners of “5th” ambergris (which had become comfortable, because of  the opening of  windows and the cell doors were made of bars through which air would enter and the prisoners could see through) were shifted to the “6th” ambergris, where the living conditions were worse in terms of psychological conditions and lack of oxygen because the windows were closed, and the tight iron door made the atmosphere suffocating as if we were trapped in a safe. Because of our continuous complaints about the suffocating atmosphere, the windows were opened and the small opening in the iron door which was used for exchange of food and medicines to the prisoners inside the cell was opened.  The uncomfortable conditions of the 6th Ambergris cell caused me unstable BP and affected my psychological state. My BP decreased to a score of 110/60mm, which caused further complicated medical problems. My BP would sometimes rise at night because of harassment by the ambergris officers while they were on their night visits, or while the blankets and mattresses were changed in the middle of the nights most instances at 2am.

On 8th July when a senior official of the Ministry of Interior visited the”6th” ambergris (the officer who had previously earned us several demands to improve the prison conditions for detainees at “5th” ambergris and also at “6th” ambergris), I requested him to visit the “4″cell where I was held at the “6th”ambergris along with the officer in-charge of the Dry Dock prison.  On their visit to my cell, joined along with them were some doctors and detainees from neighboring cells. I welcomed the officer and they started discussing the situation of the prison.  Everyone in my cell was anxious. I started questioning him as to why we were held for this long period.  What were the reasons for our arrest and as long would these tragedies would continue?  The officer was very understanding and patient to the our emotional questioning and my upset state of mind and emotion.

The officer consoled me and told me that he had no answer or solution to our problems. I was very upset and I requested the officer to convey our concerns, questions and demands to the political leaders to arrive at a decision for sorting out our problem, which the officer accepted and promised that he would do his best to do so.

Dr Al Samahiji with his son, in hospital following detention

Then the officer left the ambergris. After a short period, I had a severe intolerable headache which I had never felt before, followed by nausea and continued vomiting and I lost consciousness for few hours.  When I regained consciousness I had double vision and had lost my awareness of urination and bowel movements and was on the bed for a period of two consecutive days. When I was taken to the clinic of the Dry Dock prison, the foreign doctors in the clinic accused me of lying.  The same night I was taken to the clinic of the Ministry of Interior where I was given sedative and analgesic injections only without diagnosis.  Being an Ophthalmologist I was aware that I was suffering from something more serious in my brain because of the double vision. On the third day Dr. Hassan Al-Toublani (consultant who was also a detainee in the same Ambergris) head of intensive care unit at SMC examined me. He revealed that I was suffering from the sixth nerve palsy in the left eye, causing double vision, paralysis in the third nerve, causing the expansion of the pupil, and was also suffering from cranial hypertension, causing continued vomiting. Dr.Toublani also found that I was suffering from bleeding of the brain; hence he immediately went to the prison officers and informed them of my critical situation. Dr. Toublani warned them that if I was not immediately transferred to a hospital I would die in the prison and that the Government would be responsible for my life.  Knowing this the administration of prison acted quickly out of fear and called for the ambulance to transport me to the BDF hospital immediately.

An urgent CT scan of the my brain was done in the BDF Hospital.  The result revealed aneurysm of the basel artery in occipital area and brain bleeding.  I was immediately transferred to the Emergency Dept. of SMC and the CT scan was repeated.  The same result was revealed.

In SMC the CT scan was conducted by the Radiologist Consultant who is also an administrator and who had been sent to take care of me especially under instructions from high level authorized officials.  The radiologist informed me that 93% of patients involved in brain bleeding pass away before reaching the hospital and that only 7% reach the hospital alive. While I  was admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), four other patients involved with brain bleeding had passed away about one week after their admission in SMC. 

Two days after my admission in ICU I underwent bypass surgery of the brain arteries under general anesthesia, by a famous Lebanese doctor, with a good international reputation.  The doctor was brought to Bahrain on the request of Bahraini doctors who knew about him and his reputation.

Unfortunately the surgery was unsuccessful, because of intensive brain bleeding. I remained in ICU for 2 weeks and was send to Amman – Jordan for further surgical and psychological treatment and physiotherapy.  I stayed in Amman for 3 weeks.  On my return to Bahrain, I was admitted to SMC where I remained under treatment for one month.”

Through Dr. Al Samahiji’s professional expertise and experience as an ophthalmologist,he considers the following factors being the reason for the bleeding to his brain:

1. He has had hypertension for10 years. The Ministry of  Interior neglected his unhealthy state and did not consider or respect  his disease during his interrogation and torture.
2. The torturers were focusing on his head and face during the interrogating period (the first 5-6 days) at Al-A’dlyia Office, which was the main cause of contusion and tearing of the brain arteries. He was also exposed to the same methods of torture when he was being taken several times to the Al-A’dlyia prison from the Dry Dock prison, and whenever they were interested in updating information about him.
3. Dr.Samahiji was exposed to very bad psychological conditions, ill-treatment, insults and trauma in the prison, which had caused sudden brain bleeding. He was put through the most difficult period in his life during this time.

Dr Al Samahiji's welcome home cake

On 14th September he returned back to Bahrain, directly to the SMC to continue with  physiotherapy and psychological treatment up until the date of 13th October. On 29th September 2011, whilst he was still being treated in hospital, the military court  sentenced to him to 10 years in prison, on the following charges:

• inciting hatred against the governing regime;
• promoting sectarian hate;
• participating and supporting unlicensed protests and rallies;
• refraining from carrying out employment duties, in aim of hindering medical work and consequently endangering people’s health and lives;
• not informing the authorities of felonies;
• detention (of policeman) by force.

Dr Al Samahiji with his extended family

Dr. Al Samahiji’s appeal delivered its verdict on 14th June and his sentence was reduced to one year. Dr Al Samahiji is sick and is not fit to return to jail. His final appeal was rejected on 1st October 2012 and he was rearrested and imprisoned once again on 2nd October to complete his sentence.

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You can also read Dr Zahra Al Sammak’s personal testimony here.

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