Global medical professionals demand immediate dropping of all charges against Bahraini medics
Twenty medical professionals in Bahrain have been given prison
sentences of five to fifteen years in jail by military court, for
helping those wounded by the regime. According to Physicians for Human
Rights, there is “hard evidence of systematic and co-ordinated attacks
against medical personnel because of their efforts to provide unbiased
care for wounded protesters.”
These medical professionals have already been subject to arbitrary
arrest, torture, isolation and confinement. As one of those charged
explained, “I was taken from my house by more than 30 masked men with
guns in front of my son, whom I had to leave alone. I was physically and
emotionally abused, blindfolded and handcuffed. They beat me – with
their hands and legs, with a hose, and gave me electric shocks. They
threatened to rape me. They threatened to kill me so that I would
confess to false accusations. I was sexually harassed and humiliated.”
Leading medical organizations—including Physicians for Human Rights,
the American College of Physicians, England’s Royal College of Surgeons,
the National Arab American Medical Association and the American Medical
Association—have petitioned the Crown Prince of Bahrain to stop
attacking hospitals, patients and doctors.
Sign the online petition here
For more information read the full statement by the Bahraini medical professionals sentenced on 29 September on the Bahrain Justice and Development Movement website.
Read an interview with Rula al Saffar, president of the Bahraini nurses’ union, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
MENA Solidarity Network 
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Motion passed unanimously at UCU Imperial College London executive meeting (12/10/11).
“During the so-called Arab Spring of 2011, demonstrators in Bahrain took to the streets calling for increased political freedom. The Government’s response was to attack the protestors, to detain and torture them. Doctors and nursing staff who treated these protestors were in-turn attacked and disappeared themselves. According to the executive summary of the report published by Physicians for Human Rights ( https://s3.amazonaws.com/PHR_Reports/bahrain-do-no-harm-2011.pdf ) states:
‘This report details systematic and targeted attacks against medical personnel, as a result of their efforts to provide unbiased care for wounded protestors. The assault on healthcare workers and their patients constitutes extreme violations of the principle of medical neutrality and are grave breaches of international law.’.
1) The Imperial College London UCU Branch executive agrees with the ‘Global medical professionals demand immediate dropping of all charges against Bahraini Medics’ petition at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/freebahrainmedics/
2) This branch calls upon the NEC of the UCU to support the case of the imprisoned Bahraini medics, to publicise the case and where possible to provide material and moral support to their campaign for medical neutrality.
Imperial College London is part of an Academic Health Science Centre, linking together healthcare services and university education. The University and Colleges Union (UCU) one of the main staff unions at Imperial College London. As part of our day-to-day work many Imperial College Staff e.g the medicine faculty, collaborate with NHS staff”