Dr Hassan Alradi on his graduation day
Dr Hassan Ali Ahmed Alaradi, age 25, is a recently qualified doctor who served 6 months in a Bahraini prison, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Doctors In Chains recently received this information from a family friend:
Hassan grew up in the small village of Arad, the eldest son of the family, with his two parents, one brother and two sisters. He was dearly loved at Al Muharraq Kindergarten because he was such a smart and calm child. Dr Hassan went to Arad Boys Primary Primary school in 1994 and then Al Hedaya Boys Secondary School from 2004-2005. At school he joined Al Huharraq Football Club and he also loved to swim, go fishing, and to work on his computer. He was known as a really friendly person who loved children. He decided to become a doctor because he wanted to help people. In 2005 he went to study medicine in at M. Gorky Denotsk National Medical University in Ukraine from where he graduated in 2011.
Hassan as a child playing in park during Eid holiday
At 10.30am on 9th September 2011, just 25 days after returning to Bahrain, Dr Hassan was on his way to buy a sandwich to eat but was surprised to run into a political demonstration. He went to leave the area but wasn’t able to since the police were arresting everyone in the street, so instead he took refuge in a nearby house where a gentleman had invited him in to shelter. After waiting there for one and a half hours the police attacked many of the houses including the house in which he had taken shelter and he was arrested.
Hassan receiving a school award for diligent students
In the morning Dr Hassan called his father to tell him that he had been arrested and was being held at Smahej Police Station. His parents tried to see him at the police station but when they arrived there they were told they could not seem him and that he was at Alhid Police Station. They went there to see him and were shocked to find that he had been abused, with beating marks on his body, as well as bleeding to his face, his legs and some parts of his body. Dr Hassan told his father that he had been forced to sign papers in the police station without knowing what was written in those paper. He was then taken to the Public Prosecution.
Dr Hassan Alaradi holding his baby cousins
Dr Hassan was held for 46 days for interrogation and then released. His parents thought that this was the end of his case since he had not caused any problems and there was no evidence against him, but on 31st January 2012 he was called to a trial, charged with attending an unauthorised demonstration against the government and for incitement to hatred. On 1st March 2012 he was sentenced to prison for 6 months. On 14th March Dr Hassan went to court with his lawyer to testify in the case of an appeal and he was arrested and imprisoned on that day.
Dr Hassan Alradi with his parents and brother
UPDATE: Dr Hassan Alaradi completed his sentence in prison and is now free.